What You Get
by FanficwriterGHC
Summary: “She would be forever grateful to this man.” William Danes gave Lorelai Gilmore an amazing gift the day she moved to Stars Hollow: introducing her to his son. An AU story about the lives of Lorelai, Rory, Luke and William Danes.
1. Prologue

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: They're not mine. sigh

Chapter 1: Prologue

Summary: "She would be grateful to this man for the rest of her life." William Danes gave Lorelai Gilmore an amazing gift the day she moved to Stars Hollow: introducing her to his son. An AU story about the lives of Lorelai, Rory, Luke and William Danes as they move through life together and overcome the hardships that they have come to face.

Author's note: This is my second fic here at and I'd love to know what you think, and if you have any suggestions, ideas, criticisms or anything else.

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There were so many things that she was unsure of as she stepped off that bus, a tiny infant in her arms and maybe a hundred dollars (and that was pushing it) in her pocket. The town was small, quaint. Some Thanksgiving decorations still littered the windows of the store fronts, and there were a few twinkle lights sparkling against the dusky sky. She clutched the baby to her chest and kissed her forehead. She'd make this work, she'd have to.

She wandered down the street, simply taking in her surroundings. There was a large white gazebo in the center of the square where a few men were standing on ladders placing lights around the rim of the roof. A bearded man stood at the foot of one of the ladders yelling up to a slightly frightened looking young boy;

"Now Kirk, make sure that you really screw that hook in, we don't want these lights falling down do we?" The boy struggled with a hook looking frustrated with himself. "No No No. It needs to be tighter than that Kirk. Clock wise. No. The other way. Kirk!" The man sighed in frustration. Lorelai giggled, she was going to like it here. She could tell.

Lorelai continued to walk down the street, quickly realizing that the sun was setting, and that she had no where to go for the night. This scared her. She needed to keep her baby warm, and herself for that matter. She stood on the corner, paralyzed with fear. She hadn't thought this through at all. She had no where to go, and maybe enough money for a night at an inn, but after that she was stuck.

As she stood pondering her next move she heard a door behind her and felt a soft hand on her shoulder."Are you lost dear?" She turned to see a balding man, about her father's age looking at her with concerned eyes. "Oh, no I'm not lost. Well, actually, I'm new to the town." The man smiled. She watched as his eyes traveled to the sleeping baby in her arms. " An who is this little princess?" He asked kindly. "This is my daughter, Rory, well Lorelai actually. Oh, I'm Lorelai by the way. Lorelai Gilmore." She extended her hand to the best of her ability. He smiled and shook her hand. "William Danes." She smiled, and then shivered. "You must be cold. Please, come inside. We don't want you to freeze, or this little one here." He opened the door for her and followed her inside the hardware store.

The inside of the store was warm and rustic looking. The walls were littered with knick-knacks. Behind the counter were all manner of bolts, screws, nails and other things generally found in a hardware store. While she took in her surroundings, a boy, about two years her senior emerged from the back room.

Luke was instantly captivated by the woman standing in the corner. She had auburn hair and the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. She was slowly rocking a little bundle in her arms and it took him a few seconds to realize that the bundle was a baby. She looked as though she couldn't be much more than 17. This didn't bother him however, for his sister had just recently given birth to a little boy, and she was only 17 herself. He quickly stopped thinking about his sister, there was too much to deal with there. He didn't want to think about where she had taken her son, and what kind of trouble she was bound to be getting herself into now.

The girls eyes slowly met his and they simply stared at one another for a moment. Suddenly, she pulled out of her reverie and walked over to the counter. "Lorelai Gilmore" she said, extending her hand. He took her and shook it (with a remarkably similar grip to that of his father). "Luke Danes. You new in town?." She smiled. "Yep, fresh off the bus."

"Well then, you'll be needing some things wont you?" William said as he walked out of the back carrying a baby carrier, a package of diapers and a few bottles. He placed the items on the counter. "It didn't look like you had some of the essentials, and we have some lying around that wont be getting any use now. Unless of course Lucas here shrinks back to baby size." Lorelai stared at him in awe. She dashed over to him and threw her arm around him, giving him the best hug she could while hold Rory. No one had ever done something so generous for her in her entire life. "Oh my god. Thank you, thank you so much. This is amazing." He simply smiled at her and returned the hug. "You'll also be needing a place to stay and a job I would assume?"

Her face fell, she'd almost forgotten about the fact that she had nowhere to go. "I think I've got a solution to your problem. I have a friend over at the Independence Inn, the owner actually, and I happen to know that she's in need of a hard working girl such as yourself. I also happen to know that there's a vacant shed out behind the Inn, that Lucas and I spruced up last winter. One of the rooms burned down, and they needed extra space. The shed is no longer used as a room, but I'm sure Mia would let you stay there if you'd like."

"Wow, that sounds perfect. Thank you so much. Just so much Mr. Danes." He smiled at her. "Please, call me William. And it's no problem. Why don't you head over now, I'm sure Lucas won't mind helping you carry everything over and helping you find Mia." He leaned closer to her and whispered: "And, maybe if you wheedle him enough, he'll make you some coffee. Best coffee in the world. Don't let his hate for it get you, it's really amazing." Lorelai giggled and smiled at both of the Danes men. She was in awe. No one had ever treated her this way, especially since Rory had come into her life. Usually people stared at her, and asked all sorts of questions about Rory, who the father was, how old Lorelai was and everything in between. William hadn't done anything of the sort. He'd given her everything she could possibly need, and he didn't even know her. She had no idea that people like this existed in the world. She'd be forever grateful to this man.

She nodded and gave William another hug whispering words of thanks in his ear over and over. He simply gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You make sure you come back in a few days and let me know how things are going." "I will. Thank you again William." She placed Rory in the carrier and took out a blanket from her bag and covered her with it. She and Luke walked out of the Hardware store and began to make their way across town to the Independence Inn.

"So I hear you make great coffee."


	2. Questions

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine. But that's not to say that I'm not trying.

Chapter: Questions

Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always: I'm constantly looking for feedback, whether it be negative, positive, critical or neutral I want to hear it. Thanks!

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Three years later: 

Lorelai and Rory walk up to the front step tightly bundled in coats and scarves and knock on the door. The town looks just like a picture off of a post card, blanketed in snow and sparkling, as if thousands of tiny diamonds littered the ground illuminated by the setting sun. It's the day after the first snow of the season.

Everything is magical when it snows. Lorelai looks back on the last three years of her life, remembering all of the great things snow has brought them. Rory's first steps happened when it snowed; little foot over little foot padding across the shed floor to Lorelai who promptly picked up her daughter and spun her around causing Rory to giggle. The next day Luke made a cake and they all celebrated Rory's move towards mobility. It had been snowing when Mia announced the Lorelai would be taking over the position of assistant manager at the inn, meaning that aside from better hours, she'd be receiving more money. And, the greatest of all, it was snowing the day that William came back from the hospital with the all clear: His cancer was gone.

William had gotten sick a year and a half after Lorelai had moved to Stars Hollow. Lung cancer. But, they'd caught it early, and he'd begun treatment immediately. It was a long, slow climb back up. Everyone was worried, but they kept their spirits high for Rory, who barely left William's side unless she needed to sleep or eat while he was in the hospital. It's been over a year and a half since William was given the all clear and things couldn't be better.

Luke opens the door and smiles at them, ushering them inside. They hang their coats up in the hall. Rory goes running into the living room and jumps on top of William, who is reading the paper. He smiles down at her. "Well hello there Rory. How are you today?" She giggles and sits up straight. "I'm doing very well thank you William, and yourself?" He grins at her and begins to tickle her. She shrieks and giggles trying to get away. Lorelai and Luke watch the interaction from the hallway, smiles on their faces. They're both so grateful that William is still there with them.

Rory and William have calmed down now, and are reading the paper together, Rory reading as much as she can, and William filling in the rest. "Dinner will be ready in a few." Luke says to Lorelai as they sit down on the couch. "Good because I'm famished." Rory's head peeks out from behind the paper. "Me too!" She quickly disappears back behind the paper. Luke just shakes his head and Lorelai giggles. "So, if I remember correctly, you have your day off tomorrow. What are you planning on doing?" Rory's head pokes back out from behind the paper. "We're going shopping. Mommy says that we're gonna go to the mall and then to the food court!" Her head disappears yet again. Luke looks skeptically over at Lorelai. "The food court. You've got her excited about eating at the food court?" "What can I say. She's a true Gilmore, and nothing excites a Gilmore more than food, except for coffee perhaps." Luke Sighs. He knows that he'll never win this battle, not to say that he hasn't tried, but she can always tell. If he even puts a millimeter of decaf in her coffee she can taste it.

The timer on the oven dings, alerting the room to the fact that it's dinner time. Luke and Lorelai get up and go into the kitchen to set the table and take the dinner out of the oven. William takes Rory to the bathroom to help her wash her hands. "Hey Will. Can I ask you a question?" William smiles down at Rory. He'd do anything for this little girl. "Of course sweetheart. What would you like to know?" She's silent for a moment, as though summoning her courage. "Well, there's this thing at pre-school on Wednesday called bring your daddy day, and I just. I wanted to know. Where's my daddy? I know that he's off being a big business man somewhere. But I don't know where. Where's my daddy?" William has no idea how to respond. He wonders for a moment why Rory didn't just ask Lorelai, but then it occurs to him that maybe she didn't want her mother to know about bring your daddy day. That she didn't want her mommy to feel bad because Rory can't bring her daddy anyway. His heart aches for this little girl. He can't help wanting to kill that man for leaving these two girls. He sighs. "I think this is a question for your mommy, not for me Ror. I'm sorry." She nods. "That's ok. I just thought I'd ask you." He smiles at her and picks her up, bringing her into the kitchen and setting her down in her usual spot.

The whole lot sits down and begins to eat. Rory sits quietly, barely touching her food. Lorelai and Luke exchange confused looks. "Hey Ror, is there something wrong with your food? 'Cause I can make you something else if you'd like." Luke asks her concernedly. "Oh. No thank you. I'm ok." Lorelai looks over at William questioning him with her eyes. William turns to Rory. "Sweetie. Are you alright?" She looks up at William and shakes her head no. Tears begin to form in her eyes and she quickly tries to wipe them away with her hands, but Lorelai is quicker. She's at Rory's side in an instant, picking her up and wrapping her in a hug. "Sweetie what's wrong?" Rory picks her head up off of Lorelai's shoulder and looks her in the eyes. "Where's my daddy?" Lorelai blinks a few times, trying to digest this question. "I've told you sweetie, he's a big business man." Rory shakes her head. "I know what he is. But I want to know _where_ he is. And why he never calls. And why he won't be there on bring your daddy day at pre-school on Wednesday. Sara's daddy's coming, and so is Lane's. Why he doesn't love me?" She dissolves into tears on Lorelai's shoulder.

Lorelai looks helplessly at Luke and William. She knew that these questions were coming. Rory's the smartest little girl she's ever met. She knew that she couldn't keep her in the dark about her father forever. But now that she needs to tell her, she's not ready. How do you tell a four year old that her father ran out on them when they were born? How can you explain that daddy doesn't call because he doesn't care? How do you explain, that even you don't know where he is, or what he's doing? Tears begin to form in Lorelai's eyes as well. She's at a loss for words.

Luke gets up from his chair and walks over to the girls. Rory looks up at him through teary eyes. He smiles at her. "How about I come with you. I know I'm not your dad, but I'd be willing to come so you don't feel left out." Rory looks a little apprehensive so Luke goes on: "I'll even let you make me a macaroni necklace." She begins to smile. "And I'll bring cookies." Sold. Rory's face breaks into a tear-stained grin and she throws her arms around Luke, who takes her from Lorelai who looks relived. Rory begins to talk a mile a minute about what they'll do and what she'll show him when they get there. Lorelai sits down and puts her head in her hands. Luke may have fixed the problem temporarily, but she knows that sometime soon, Rory will want to know the answers to her questions, and Lorelai's not sure how to answer them. William puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It'll be ok." Lorelai smiles sadly. "He's an idiot for not wanting to know her Lorelai." She looks up at Rory and Luke, who's totally wrapped up in what Rory is saying. "Yeah. He really is."


	3. Of Sisters and Smiles

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Yet again. Not mine.

Chapter: Of Sisters and Smiles

Authors note: Ok. So as you read, you might realize that nothing major league happens in this chapter, but I promise. It's all going to build up to something later. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Bring your daddy day went off without a hitch for Rory and Luke. Lorelai and Luke went and talked to Rory's teacher beforehand and explained the situation. She was incredibly understanding and assured them that Luke and Rory would fit right in. 

In the weeks following bring your daddy day Rory and Luke grew closer than ever. The experience had bonded them, and Rory often opted to go work with William and Luke in the hardware store rather than going to the inn with Lorelai. Lorelai was slightly upset at first, but then, when Luke explained that the only reason Rory really like coming was because she got to do things while she was there, Lorelai fully embraced the idea. She even went as far as to send Rory with little projects for them to do together, like fixing their toaster and building picture frames for photos of the whole family, Luke, Lorelai, Rory and William.

The cold December air whips at her cheeks as she trudges across the slushy square heading in the direction of the hardware store. It's been a tough week at the inn. Michel's been out sick and Sookie's been falling even more than usual. Not to mention the fact that it's almost Christmas and therefore the inn is packed to full capacity. People just keep showing up, as if they're coming out of thin air, equipped with bags, grumpy little children and impatient dispositions.

Lorelai's face instantly breaks into a smile as she enters the hardware store and is nearly knocked backwards by Rory flying into her arms for her customary hug. Luke walks over to them holding a cup of coffee out to Lorelai by way of a greeting. She smiles gratefully and follows him back to the counter, limping from the weight of her daughter who is still attached to her leg. Luke chuckles "Hey Rory, why don't you run up to the office and clean up your stuff, and then we'll all head over to the my house for dinner." Rory nods and races up the stairs.

Lorelai sits down on one of the stools behind the counter and lays her head down on the counter. "Hard day at work?" Luke asks as he begins to close up shop for the day. "The longest day ever known to man my friend." Luke chuckles at her embellishment. Customary Lorelai, but, of course, he wouldn't have it any other way. " Michael's out with the flu, and this is the second time this week that we had to rush Sookie to the hospital." Luke grimaces. "What happened this time?" "Her apron got caught the knob of a cabinet and she slipped, grabbed onto a burning hot pan, let go, because well, it was hot, and then fell on her left arm in a funny way." Luke looks shocked. He wonders why things like this still phase him. Sookie is constantly having bizarre and dangerous accidents in the kitchen. "So, what's the verdict?" "Sprained wrist, and a second degree burn on her right hand." Luke shakes his head. "She is insured right?" Lorelai laughs. "Yes. We actually got her the best kitchen insurance available to businesses. It barely costs a thing for us to take her to the emergency room, except time and you know, pain for her of course."

Rory comes bounding down the stairs, coloring book, crayons and her copy of Charlotte's Web in hand. " We got to chapter three today mommy!" Rory tells Lorelai excitedly as they leave the hardware store and make their way over to the Danes house. Lorelai smiles down at her daughter. She can't remember ever being that excited about reading when she was Rory's age. Of course, no one read with her when she was four, like she, Luke and William do everyday with Rory. "She even read me two whole pages all by herself." Luke beams proudly down at Rory who is turning a delicate shade of pink. "You did? That's wonderful sweetie!" Rory continues to look at the ground, embarrassed by all of the attention, but Lorelai can see a smile on her face. She turns to Luke and shoots him a 'thank you' with her eyes. He responds with an equally silent 'it was nothing' look and smiles at her.

Later that night, after William has bid them good night and Rory has fallen asleep on the couch between Lorelai and Luke like always, Luke turns to Lorelai. "I have to tell you something." Lorelai looks horror struck. " Please don't tell me that it's your dad Luke. Oh my god. No, no, no. This can't be happening. Not again." Luke puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Lorelai calm down. It's not my dad. It's my sister." Lorelai visibly relaxes, but then her face tenses again. "Is everything ok Luke?" " Everything's fine. Great actually. She's getting married." Lorelai's face breaks into a smile. She whaps Luke on the arm. "Married! You had me thinking that she'd died, or that something had happened to Jess! You big brat!" Luke chuckles. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Lorelai scowls at him and takes a minute to recollect herself. "So. Who's she marrying?" Luke's smile broadens. "The father." Lorelai looks confused. "Jess' dad. He showed up in the book store that she works at the about six months ago apparently, and they went out for coffee, and the rest is fate I suppose." Lorelai looks pensive for a moment. "Isn't this the same guy that left when he found out that she was pregnant?" Luke sighs. "As I understand it, he didn't want to leave." Lorelai looks skeptical. "He and his parents moved the day after they found out that Liz was pregnant. He says that he didn't have any control of it. As soon as he was out of high school he started looking for her." Lorelai's look matches that of Luke's; happy but a little disbelieving at the same time. "That's sweet." Luke smiles thankfully at her. He needs her to be ok with this, because if she's not, he doesn't think that he'll be able to pretend that he's ok with it either. "Yeah. It is, isn't it."

They sit in awkward silence for a minute until Lorelai realizes that it's almost 11pm. "Oh, wow. I've got to get home. It's late. They both stand up. Lorelai looks down at Rory, a puzzled look on her face. "Everything ok there? She hasn't been switched by body-snatchers or anything in the last two minutes you know." Lorelai slaps him on the chest. "I'm trying to decide how to do this. It's already 11pm, and I don't know if waking her up is the best idea, but I certainly can't carry her back to the shed." Luke looks at her confusedly. "You know you guys are always welcome to stay here." Lorelai nods. "I know. Would you mind if we stayed tonight? I just can't imagine waking her now. She'll be up for another two hours, and then I won't get any sleep, and neither will she and it will be bad." Luke smiles at her. "It's no problem. I'll make up the guest bed for you and you know where the blankets are for Rory right?" Lorelai smiles at him and envelopes him in a hug. Luke grins down at her, placing his hand on her head. "You're the greatest, you know that right? I don't know what I'd do without you." Luke simply squeezes her a bit. "Back at'cha."


	4. Aunties

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Not mine, why do the fates hate me?

Chapter 4: Aunties

Author's note: Ok. So a bit more happens in this chapter. I'm still setting things up, so have patience with me. Oh, also, I've been having personal issues with my jumping from past to present tense. It would take way to long to write out those weeks that I skip in the first paragraph...but somehow the switch from past to present seems disconserting. Please tell me if you have any advice on that situation. And, as always, critisism and complements are welcome.

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As the weeks passed Lorelai found herself and Rory spending more and more nights at the Danes house. They just never managed to leave early enough, and by the time she and Luke were done gabbing, it was too late to wake Rory. So they'd started bringing things with them, like toothbrushes and Rory's favorite stuffed animals on many nights. Rory loved being tucked in by both Luke and her mother. She'd never gotten to have a daddy tuck her in at night, and Luke was the closest thing she'd ever had to a father. She would beg on occasion for Luke to read her a bed-time story in place of Lorelai, "for a little variety." Lorelai completely understood. She had stopped being jealous of Rory's love for Luke a long time ago. She treasured the relationship that he and her daughter shared, and was ever grateful for his presence in both of their lives.

Tonight is one of those nights. Lorelai walks into the kitchen as she begins to hear the story about the little princess and her mother who come to live in a quiet town and bring joy into the lives of the towns people there. She marvels at Luke's ability to build a fairytale out of their lives, creating castles and jesters out of the homes and people of the Hollow.

She makes herself a cup of tea and leaves the pot on for Luke incase he wants to make himself a cup later. The kitchen is small and covered in pictures. The face of the refrigerator isn't even visible beneath the miles of Rory's artwork that are stuck to it with magnets. One of the walls is lined with photos of Luke and Liz as children, another with pictures of Luke and Liz as adults (more Luke than Liz) and the third is covered to the bursting point with pictures of Lorelai, Rory and Luke. Rory and Luke making cookies, Rory and Lorelai reading a book, Luke and Lorelai having a snowball fight and many more are strewn about the collection along with a few rare pictures of William. He's always taking pictures instead of being captured in them she reflects sadly. She'd love to have more pictures of him, but he's wily. If she so much as mentions her camera, he's suddenly got something else he needs to do.

Luke walks into the kitchen smiling. Tucking Rory in is always such fun. She joins in enthusiastically in the telling of her bedtime story and continues to tell the story with him until she passes out from exhaustion. He notices Lorelai staring at a picture of himself, Liz and Jess in her hospital room the day she gave birth. That was one of the few times he had actually seen his nephew. Liz had taken off about three days after she was released from the Hospital, and he's seen them maybe twice since. But, that will all change when Liz, Jimmy and Jess come to the Hollow tomorrow to prepare for their wedding.

Lorelai turns as she hears Luke enter the kitchen. "There's water in the kettle if you'd like some tea." "Thanks" Luke responds and begins to steep a cup of tea. Lorelai sits down at the table and Luke follows her, stealing a glance at the photo before he sits down as well. This doesn't go unnoticed by Lorelai. "You can't wait to see her can you?" Luke smiles embarrassedly. "Couldn't be more excited actually. I haven't seen her in years. And I'd like to get to know my nephew. He's a reader like Rory Liz says, so they should get along just fine." Lorelai smiles at this. Try as they might, there doesn't seem to be another child in Stars Hollow who shares Rory's enthusiasm for books. Jess will be welcomed with open arms by the literature loving little girl.

"I've never gotten a chance to ask him. How's your dad dealing with Liz getting married?" Luke sighs. "I don't even know myself. He seems happy, but whenever he talks about it I can hear the doubt in his voice. I think he just doesn't want to see her hurt again. She was such a wreck after he left the first time, and I don't think that she'd be able to cope if it happened again. And then what happens to Jess? What if this doesn't work. Has she even thought about how this will effect Jess?" Lorelai puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she's got it covered Luke. She's a smart girl, she's got a good job, and from what we know, Jess is a happy and very intelligent little boy. I'm sure it will all be ok." Luke nods but doesn't respond. They sit quietly for a moment. Lorelai feels her eyelids beginning to droop as she stifles a yawn. "I think it's time to hit the hey for the evening." Luke doesn't move. Lorelai gets up and puts her hands on his shoulders, giving him a half hug. "It'll all be ok. Try and get some sleep alright? You can't be tired tomorrow, Liz and Jess are coming tomorrow and that means two little kids instead of one. An that, my friend, requires a large amount of energy." Luke chuckles and stands up, allowing Lorelai to guide him up the stairs to the bathroom. "Take a long shower, relax, and get some sleep ok? It'll all be fine." Luke smiles at her and pulls her into a hug. He kisses her temple and gives her one last squeeze before entering the bathroom and closing the door. Lorelai sighs. It's bound to be a long week.

Lorelai stirs in her bed. There's something bouncing on it, two somethings actually. Lorelai opens a bleary eye, and the shapes of Rory and Jess come into view, as does their shrieking. "Mommy, Mommy!" "Auntie Lorelai, Auntie Lorelai!" Lorelai smiles sleepily and sits up to hug the bouncing kids. "You must be Jess," She says smiling down at the little boy. "Yep. That's me. I hope you don't mind. Rory and Luke said that I could call you Auntie." Lorelai just beams at him and gives him a squeeze. "That's just fine with me." Liz enters the room quickly followed by Luke, who comes bearing coffee. Lorelai smiles at the both of them, and extends her hand for the coffee. "Thought you may need more of a jolt this morning." Lorelai laughs as the kids start energetically bouncing again. "More of a jolt than them on my bed?" Liz and Luke chuckle. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Lorelai, you must be Liz." Lorelai offers her hand to Liz. "Yep, that's me. And you must be Lorelai. I've heard a lot about you, and Rory for that matter." Lorelai giggles. "I've heard the same about you and Jess." They exchange smiles. Lorelai realizes for the first time that she's still in her pajamas. Luke seems to be on the same wave-length. "Hey you guys, why don't you run downstairs and watch some TV? Your moms and I will be down in a few. "Uncle Luke, can we read instead?" The three adults shake their heads. "Sure. Go ahead, be nerds." Lorelai replies. Rory and Jess stick their tongues out at her and run out of the room.

"I've never met two little kids who love to read so much." Lorelai and Liz nod. "She didn't get it from me, I'll tell you that." Liz chuckles. "Me neither. Jess developed his strange attraction to the written word all on his own." Lorelai glances down at her pajama clad body once more. "Hey you guys, as lovely as this moment is, I think it'd be better if I was dressed for the day. Do you mind if I meet you downstairs in a few?" Luke and Liz nod and leave the room. Lorelai smiles to herself. Things seem to be going quite nicely, just as she'd hoped they would.

When Lorelai enters the kitchen it's a flurry of activity. Liz is setting the table, Luke is cooking breakfast and William is assisting Luke. Rory and Jess are sitting on the floor, the third Harry Potter book spread across their laps, reading silently. Every so often they both stop, look at each other and call to one of the adults. "Hey mom, what does scandalized mean?" Liz turns around and smiles at the kids. "Shocked and kind of angered." Rory and Jess nod. "Thanks Auntie Liz." The adults go back to their cooking and Rory and Jess continue to read. Lorelai walks over to Liz. "Anything I can do to help?" Liz smiles gratefully. "Pour drinks?" Lorelai nods and begins to take tumblers out of the cabinet.

Suddenly there's a knock at the door. Jess jumps up knocking the Harry Potter book astray. Rory quickly scampers after it. Jess shoots her an apologetic look and turns his attention back to the knocking. "I'll get it!" He runs out of the room and opens the door. "Daddy!" A few seconds later Jimmy enters the room, Jess swung over his shoulder giggling madly. He sets Jess down, who runs back to Rory. "I lost our page." Jess grabs the book and opens it, quickly flipping through the pages. "Page 179." They begin to read once more.

Jimmy gives Liz a quick kiss and then turns himself to the rest of the room, introducing himself to them in turn. He and Luke grasp hands. Luke pulls Jimmy into a "Man-Hug." "Good to have you back Jim." Jimmy grins. "It's good to be back.." He turns to William. "William." William clasps his hand and pulls him into a less masculine hug. "Welcome to the family son." Jimmy smiles at him, and shoots a relieved looking glance to Liz. Liz realizes that he's left Lorelai out. "And this is Lorelai." She and Jimmy shake hands. "And that little girl, sharing nose space in that book with your son is my daughter Rory." Jimmy nods and smiles at the two kids. "Daddy? What does surreptitious mean?" Jimmy walks over and squats down next to the two kids. "It means hidden. Very hush-hush you know?" The kids giggle. Rory extends her hand to Jimmy. "I'm Rory. You must be Jess' daddy." Jimmy smiles and takes her hand in his, kissing it. Rory giggles. "Yep, I'm Jess' daddy. It's very nice to meet you." He stands up and walks back over to the adults. "Anything I can do to help?" The four exchange a glance. "Here, why don't you pour the drinks, and I'll go get the bookworms ready for breakfast?" Jimmy nods. Lorelai walks over to Rory and Jess. "Ok you two. You can read as much as you'd like later, but right now, I need to you put the book down and come wash your hands." Rory and Jess sigh dejectedly and close the book, taking special care to mark the page. Everyone laughs as they sulk out of the room.


	5. Weddings and Fathers

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 5- Weddings and Fathers

Authors Note: Ok. I have some responses for reviews left by unsigned readers: I decided to write Rory and Jess at a higher level of speech and reading than many people would find normal for four year olds. I have however, met young children who do talk they way that I have written them, so to me, it's not so far off. Also, I do apologize for my use of the Harry Potter series in the last chapter. It totally slipped my mind that I was writing in the year 1990. I lost track of my timeline. And finally, I hope that the formatting is a little easier to read.

This is a shortish chapter, but there is a reason for that. I needed to set some things up, but I didn't want to spend too much time doing so. As always, I'm always looking for suggestions and criticisms. Enjoy!

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"I can't believe it's today." Liz exclaims while Lorelai zips up her wedding gown. "I mean, I'm marrying the father of my kid, the love of my life. Everything's fallen into place. I never thought this would happen."

Lorelai smiles and embraces her. She's so happy for Liz. Her life's really taken a turn for the better. Jess is so happy, and Jimmy is a wonderful guy. Liz is practically walking on air. Her hair is braided elegantly, crowned with a tiara of flowers, her dress flows as though it were a cloud surrounding her body, and the smile on her face would make even the Mona Lisa jealous.

There is a knock on the door, and William enters. "It's almost time dears." Lorelai smiles at him and gives Liz one last hug before she picks up her bouquet and makes her way to the entrance of the church. There she finds Rory, Jess, Luke and Jimmy waiting for the ceremony to begin. She walks over to Jimmy and gives him a hug.

"Congratulations." Jimmy simply smiles in return. She then takes her place next to Luke as the wedding march begins to play.

Rory skips down the isle, gently tossing her flower petals along the way. Next comes Jess proud as can be, carrying the rings on a velvet pillow. Luke and Lorelai follow him, walking slowly, her arm in his, each sporting an identical grin. Jimmy follows them down the isle, his eyes focused on Jess who beams at him.

The audience stands as Liz and William enter the church. Liz' and Jimmy's eyes never leave one-an-other's as she and William make their way down the isle. William's eyes are already brimming with joyous tears as he hands Liz to Jimmy and they take their first steps into the world together.

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(I am not good at writing wedding ceremonies, so I have chosen to skip ahead to the reception.)

* * *

"It is now time for the bride and groom to share their first dance as man and wife. Liz, Jimmy, would you please grace us with this dance?"

Liz and Jimmy step out onto the dance floor. They are instantly lost in each other's eyes, swaying to the music, oblivious to the world around them. Lorelai and Luke watch from their table as Jimmy whispers something into Liz' ear that causes her to giggle.

"She looks so happy." Lorelai comments to Luke. "Yeah, she really does doesn't she?"

When the song comes to a close, Kirk's voice (how he managed to get Liz to agree to him being the emcee is beyond everyone) comes over the loud speaker once more:

"Liz and Jimmy now request that their son Jess join them on the dance floor for their first dance as a true family."

Jess runs over to his parents who scoop him up into their arms and sway with him. Lorelai watches the happy new family sadly. She can never give Rory her true family. She and Chris were over the moment the strip turned pink, and she's heard from him maybe four times since Rory's birth.

Luke looks over at Lorelai and is surprised to see her eyes brimming with tears. She notices his glance and quickly wipes at her eyes.

"You ok?" Lorelai nods, but her eyes continue to tear. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" She responds, shaking her head. But Luke knows her better than this. He questions her with his eyes, breaking her will to hide. "Rory will never have that." Luke looks confused for a moment, and follows her eyes over to his sister and her new family. Jimmy is tossing Jess in the air and catching him, while Liz laughs. Now Luke understands.

"Lorelai, that's not your fault. He chose to leave and he's an idiot for doing so. You know that. He's missed out on so much with you and Rory."

Lorelai nods, but doesn't respond. Luke pulls her into a hug and kisses her head.

"She'll have that someday. You'll meet someone amazing, and he'll love her like his own. Maybe she'll never have a real father by blood, but there will be someone somewhere who will want to be her father."

Lorelai smiles up at him. "She's got you. That's all that matters." Luke smiles back and they begin to sway to the music, falling into a slow waltz. Rory sees this and comes running over to them. Luke smiles and picks her up. The three dance quietly to the music, simply enjoying each others company.

The troop makes it's way home as the sun is setting over the hollow. Liz and Jimmy are staying at the Independence Inn for the night before they head off on their honeymoon, and Jess is staying with Luke and William for the week. Lorelai and Rory are also staying at the Danes' per Jess and Rory's request to hang out with each other as much as possible before Jess goes back to New York.

As they are crossing the square a motorcycle comes screeching into the town. The man gets off his bike and looks around. His eyes finally fall on the group crossing the street.

Lorelai looks over briefly at the man, her breath catching in her throat. Her hand instantly grips at Luke's who stops to look at her. His gaze follows hers to the man on the motorcycle. The face seems familiar to him, as though he's seen it in a picture in some old high school yearbook.

"Christopher."


	6. Stupidity

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Not mine, although maybe if I throw some shaving cream on myself tomorrow, it will be.

Chapter: Stupidity

Author's Note: Hey, so I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. As always, I would love to get feed back of all kinds. Happy almost Halloween everyone!

_

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__Lorelai looks over briefly at the man, her breath catching in her throat. Her hand instantly grips at Luke's who stops to look at her. His gaze follows hers to the man on the motorcycle. The face seems familiar to him, as though he's seen it in a picture in some old high school yearbook. _

"_Christopher."_

Christopher spots Lorelai and begins to walk in their direction a smile plastered to his face, contrasting the glares that both she and Luke are shooting at him. Luke turns to his father, who has already caught on.

"Rory, Jess, why don't we go home and have some ice cream? Luke and Lorelai are going to check on the hardware store." William says hurriedly, wanting to get the kids out of the impending confrontation as quickly as possible.

Rory and Jess run off, pulling William with them. Lorelai stands rooted to the spot glowering at Christopher, who doesn't seem fazed by her expression. He approaches them seeming to either ignore, or not notice Luke's presence.

"Lor! I was hoping to find you here. How are you? How's Rory?" Christopher asks jovially, as though they are simply two friends meeting for a weekly lunch.

Luke is appalled by the nonchalance of his voice. Lorelai however, is not.

"It's Lorelai. And I'm doing perfectly well, and so is Rory."

Christopher smiles as though this is an acceptance to an unspoken apology, and reaches to embrace her in a hug. Lorelai backs away towards Luke who places a reassuring hand on her back. This doesn't go un-noticed by Christopher, who takes in Luke's form for the first time.

"I'm sorry. I don't think we've been introduced to each other in the four years that I've know Lorelai and her daughter. I'm Luke Danes, and you are?"

The subtle, or not so subtle sarcasm of his statement is lost on Christopher who takes his hand smilingly. Lorelai simply stares at Christopher, at a loss as to why he's suddenly shown up, and she's not about to be tactful about it either.

"Why are you here Christopher?"

"I'm here to see my girls, why else would I come to Stars Hollow?"

Lorelai snorts. His lack of all rhyme and reason is astounding.

"What girls are you talking about Christopher?"

He looks bemused. "You and Rory. My two favorite girls in the world." He smiles charmingly.

"Sure has a funny way of showing it." Luke whispers into Lorelai's ear. Christopher is oblivious to Luke's comment, but not to his grabbing of Lorelai's hand, and Lorelai's consequent smile. Lorelai turns away from Luke to find a slightly jealous looking Christopher staring back at her.

"I'm sorry. You must be thinking of another Lor**elai** and Rory, because as far as I know, we haven't heard from you in over a year and a half now. And, come to think of it, I don't think Rory's ever heard from you at all, let alone seen you."

Christopher's nonchalant smile diminishes as a flash of guilt crosses over his face.

"Look, Lor…." Lorelai glares at him. "I mean Lorelai, I'm sorry I haven't called, I've been very busy, and…"

He is cut off by the motion of Lorelai turning away from him and walking away. Luke however, stands his ground.

"I don't know the specifics of your whereabouts, and neither does Lorelai for that matter, but no matter what you were doing or where you were, there was always time in your life for your daughter."

Luke then walks away as well, jogging a bit to catch up with Lorelai. Christopher stands, rooted to the spot, watching as Luke puts his arm around Lorelai and kisses her head as she places it on his shoulder. He's not going to give up without a fight. He removes his bag from the bike and follows Luke and Lorelai down the street, keeping at least a blocks distance between himself and them.

Up ahead Lorelai is fuming, angry tears running down her face and her hands clenched into fists.

"How dare he! How can he believe that he can come here, and expect that I'm just going to forgive him for not being there for the entirety of Rory's life? I mean, she wouldn't even know him if she saw him. Hel, she couldn't pick him out of a line up if her life depended on it. And saying that he's been too busy, for a year and a half, to give us a simple phone call?"

Luke runs his hand soothingly over her head as she continues to cry. She's not distraught, he knows this. She's angry, to a point that he's never seen before. And, truth be told, he's a little intimidated. Getting on Lorelai's bad side is a place he never wants to go.

"He's an as Lorelai. That's the only reason I can come up with. Or that he's really just that stupid, which I find hard to believe since he was accepted to Princeton."

Lorelai laughs and shakes her head. "He may really just be that stupid Luke."

They reach the house and walk inside, yelling to William and the kids that they're home. Suddenly they're attacked by two sugar-hyped balls of energy barreling into them talking a mile a minute. They walk into the living room each carrying one of the kids, too wrapped up in what they're saying to hear the knock at the door.

William, consequently is the one to answer the door. There in front of him is Christopher.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that I can invite you in. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Christopher ignores this and walks past a protesting William into the house. He follows the sounds of voices to the living room. His presence creates a deafening silence in the house. Lorelai and Luke glare at Christopher, confused as to why he's suddenly there, in the house. Rory and Jess look frightened and run over to William. Christopher walks towards Rory.

"Hey Ror. I'm your daddy."

Rory's eyes go wide and she looks over to Lorelai for guidance. Lorelai has no idea what to do. She had hoped that Christopher would have just left after their talk in the square, but those hopes have obviously been dashed.

"Rory, sweetie, I'm your daddy, Christopher. I'm sure your mom has told you about me."

Rory's face begins to change from confused to elated as she realizes that this man must be her father, or Lorelai would have said otherwise. She looks back at Lorelai one last time to make sure that everything is ok. Lorelai nods, trying to mask the pain that giving Rory this information is causing her. Rory squeals and jumps into her father's arms.

Lorelai sighs. She knows that Christopher is going to leave in a few days, if he even stays that long, and then Rory will be crushed. But there's nothing she can do now. The damage has already been done.

William takes Jess out of the room, mentioning something about a new book he'd like to show him. Luke puts his hand on Lorelai's shoulder and nods his head towards the kitchen. They get up and leave the room, Lorelai watching sadly as Rory tells her dad all about pre-school and the books she's reading.

Luke pulls out a chair, eases Lorelai into it, and begins to brew a pot of coffee. She puts her head in her hands. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this. Not now. She needed warning. Now there's no way to keep Rory safe from Chris' tendency to get up and leave on a moments notice. She'll get attached and then he'll be gone the next day.

Luke pours her a cup of coffee and sits down next to her, rubbing her back.

"He really is that stupid, isn't he." She says quietly. Luke nods sadly.

It's going to be a long night.


	7. Homes

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Not mine. These wonderful characters belong to ASP.

Chapter 7: Homes

Author's note: Ok. So this chapter is really really short tonight, but I didn't want to end it another way, and I wanted to post something because I'm not sure that I'll be able to post another chapter until Friday, and I wanted to post a chapter (feel accomplished, you know). So as always, feedback is more than welcome, encouraged even. And I hope you enjoy!

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Lorelai looks up from the table to the clock and realizes that it's already 9:00pm about an hour past Rory's usual bedtime.

"Oh god." Luke turns and looks at her, surprised. This is the first time she's spoken in minutes.

"I have to go tell Rory that it's time for bed, then we all have to go back to the shed because Christopher needs a place to sleep, and I just know that he won't want to sleep here, and Rory wouldn't want him to leave without her, and she'd beg me to let him stay with us. So the only solution is to take him back to the shed, but I don't want him in my house. But I certainly I don't want him in your house either. I just don't want him here at all."

"You guys are welcome to stay here. I really don't mind. We've got an extra mattress lying around here somewhere that he could have…."

Lorelai smiles adoringly at Luke but shakes her head. "I couldn't ask you to do that for me. It's not right. Thank you for the incredible offer, but I just can't."

Luke just smiles sadly at her. They stand up and walk towards the living room, Luke grabbing Lorelai's hand for support. As they enter the room they see Rory teaching Christopher to play patty-cake, Chris failing miserably, and Rory patiently trying to explain the concept again. She looks up and notices Luke and her mom standing in the doorway.

"Luke! Please come show daddy how you play patty-cake, he just doesn't get it." She says exasperatedly.

Luke smiles at her and brings himself over to the two on the floor, sitting down next to Rory and offering his hands. They play a quick game of patty-cake together, Rory giggling the whole time and Luke looking at ease and happy to play with her. Christopher can feel the jealousy burning inside himself.

Who is this guy? He just comes in and steals his girls from him. The "perfect guy" who can play patty-cake and make the best food in the world (according to Rory). Telling him that he's a bad father, and then running off to comfort the mother of his child. And why are they staying here anyway? Don't the live behind an inn in a barn or something?

Christopher quickly shakes his head and puts on a fake smile for Rory, who has just finished playing her game of patty-cake with Luke.

"See daddy? That's how you play. Do you want to try again?" She smiles at him, pouting slightly.

The truth is, he really doesn't want to play again. She's been trying to teach him for 15 minutes, and he knows that he'll fail again. Even worse, he'd be failing in front of Lorelai and Mr. Perfect patty-caker over here. Luckily for him, Lorelai intervenes.

"Hey Ror, I'm sorry to break up the party, but we've got to be heading home, it's way past your bedtime, and I know that you want to show daddy the town tomorrow, so you need your sleep."

Rory nods, but then looks confused.

"But mommy, why aren't we sleeping here. I don't like the shed, it's cold and windy."

Lorelai grimaces. It's true, she and Rory haven't spent a night in their shed in almost a month. But now, for her to throw that out there in front of Christopher, obviously uncomfortable enough around Luke as it is… is just not what they need tonight.

"Rory sweetie, I promise. I'll turn the heat on high tonight and we'll tuck you in extra tight, like a little caterpillar in a cocoon."

Rory smiles at this. "Ok. Can daddy read me my bedtime story tonight?"

Both Lorelai and Luke sigh, but keep their smiles plastered to their faces. "Sure he can sweetie."

The trio begins to leave the house. Christopher feebly trying to help Rory into her coat, but somehow managing to get her tangled in it instead. Luke stifles and chuckle at the look of exasperation on Rory's face, and fixes her jacket for her, giving her a kiss on the head and sending her out to the porch with her father. Lorelai lags behind a bit, picking up items that they'll need at "home."

"It'll all be ok Lorelai, I promise." She nods grimly, it won't be ok, she knows it and so does he. Luke pulls her into a hug and kisses her head. They break apart and Lorelai smiles at him as she leaves the house. Going from warmth and comfort of home into the cold and unforgiving night, in more ways than one.


	8. Realizations and Reactions

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Always a person not in possesion of the copyright documents, never a person in possesion of the copyright documents.

Chapter 8: Realizations and Reactions

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When they reach the shed Lorelai is apprehensive about entering. She's actually not sure what the inside will look like anymore. It's been at least three weeks since they've stayed there, and it's probably covered in dust. But the questioning look that Christopher is giving her forces her to open the door and flip on the lights.

The apartment is spotlessly clean, which confuses her, because it surely wasn't like that the last time they'd slept here. She spots a note on the dresser and walks over to look at it as Rory drags Christopher excitedly towards the bath tub, babbling about all the cool bath toys she has.

_Dear Lorelai,_

_I sent one of the maids over here to tidy up for you. I've noticed that you haven't been sleeping here lately…. I hope those Danes men are taking good care of you and Rory._

_I'm so glad that you've found them, I think you and Rory are just what they needed. I haven't seen Luke or William this happy since May was alive. And I don't think I've ever seen a happier little girl than Rory. You're bringing her up wonderfully._

_I'll see you at work, whenever the tomorrow is after you get this letter._

_Love,_

_Mia_

Lorelai smiles and wipes a stray tear away from her eye as puts the letter away. Those Danes men. What would she do without them? She hears a loud crash behind her and turns to see two bottles of shampoo rolling across the floor and a very soggy Christopher chasing after them, while Rory sits dejectedly in the tub. She tries to repress a slight giggle at the image of Christopher scampering after two bottles of shampoo.

She walks over to Rory and helps her finish up in the tub, while Christopher tries vainly to dry off his shirt with paper towels. Rory can't stop moving as she dries her off. She's so excited about her daddy being there that she's almost literally bouncing off the walls.

As soon as Lorelai's gotten her into her pjs, Rory grabs Christopher's hand and drags him into her make-shift room (a curtained off area of the shed that separates her room from Lorelai's and the both of them from the bathroom). Lorelai follows them into Rory's room shaking her head, sighing dejectedly at the less-than-enthused look on Christopher's face.

"Will you read me _Where the Sidewalk Ends_?" Rory asks excitedly as she plops down onto her bed and Lorelai tucks the blankets in around her.

"Sure" Christopher responds. When he finds the book on her shelf his eyes grow big as saucers, noticing it's size. Lorelai catches this and turns to Rory.

"Why don't you pick your favorites tonight Hun, ok? It's very late and I don't think it's a good idea for daddy to read you the whole book tonight, you'll be too tired in the morning."

Rory frowns, but nods. Christopher walks over to the bed and sits down gingerly on Rory's flowered comforter. Rory grabs the book from him and begins to flip through the pages, searching out her favorite poems.

"Will you read me _Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too _First?" She asks as she hands the book back to Christopher.

"Sure." He replies again. He begins to read the poem in a monotone voice. Rory doesn't seem to notice the lack of any type of emotion in Christopher's voice though. She's simply to wrapped up in the fact that he's reading her the story at all to notice how he's actually reading it to her. But Lorelai notices. Whenever she or Luke or William read _Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too _to Rory, they tickle her and make funny voices for each of the characters, and Rory is usually giggling and bouncing under her covers. But tonight, she's sitting quietly listening to the drone of Christopher's voice, slowly nodding off after one single poem. Usually it takes the entire anthology to get Rory to fall into dreamland, because she's so riled up by the way that they read to her that she can't even think of sleep.

Lorelai sighs sadly and backs out of the room. She walks over to the tiny kitchen and puts on a pot of water. She also turns on the stove to fill the tiny shed with extra heat so that they don't freeze overnight. Christopher walks out of Rory's room a minute later and looks around for Lorelai. He smiles as he spots her in the kitchen and walks over to her.

"She's asleep." He says relived, as though having Rory awake is a burden. Lorelai frowns at this.

"Good. It's way past her bedtime. She'll probably be tired all day tomorrow." She responds in a slightly clipped tone.

"It's not that late, I'm sure she'll be fine." He says unthinkingly.

"Not that late? Chris, it's almost 11pm, she's only four. This is like you or I staying up until five in the morning and then getting up at seven. She's a little girl, and her body needs a lot of sleep." Lorelai states fumingly.

"Ok Ok. Sorry" Chris throws his hands up in front of himself in a mock-surrender.

Lorelai shakes her head angrily and pours herself a cup of tea. She doesn't bother to offer one to Christopher. She's not exactly feeling all that hospitable at the moment. She sits down at the table and Chris joins her.

"So, I was wondering if you were busy tomorrow night?" He asks nonchalantly.

Lorelai's head snaps up to look at him. She's in shock. He's asking her out. He's actually asking her out. After abandoning herself and Rory, and then barely contacting them for four years, he's asking her out.

"No freaking way Christopher!" She spits venomously. He looks taken aback at her sudden hostility.

"What's wrong Lore?" He asks, obviously unaware of his own stupidity.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong. You just show up here, and expect me to go out with you. After you show no interest in being involved in your daughter's life for four years, four very long years, and barely ever call, you expect me to just coming running into your arms and forgive you for everything?" She's up and pacing now. And suddenly she's hit with a horribly sickening and maddening realization.

"You didn't come here to get to know your daughter at all did you?" Christopher hangs his head, no reasonable excuse coming to mind.

"You didn't. You came here because your latest bimbo broke up with you, and you thought "Hey, the mother of my kid would probably jump into my arms at the sight of me" so you came. I can't believe this. I actually thought more of you Christopher. I had hoped that maybe, just maybe this was a new leaf for you. That you actually wanted to be part of Rory's life, that you wanted to be her father and be here for her. What surprises me even more, is that you thought that I would say yes. You thought that you could just waltz right in here and sweep me off my feet with a little attention towards your daughter and a smile. You're an idiot and an ashole Christopher."

Christopher stares at his hands and says nothing. All Lorelai wants to do is leave. She can't stand to be in the same room as Christopher, but because the shed is only one room, that leaves her very few options. She sighs. She can't very well leave Rory here with _him._ He's definitely not qualified to take care of her if something should happen. She really needs yell and scream, but Rory's sleeping.

Not seeing any other option, aside from punching Christopher's lights out (and, although it has it's perks, that's out of the question) she picks up the phone and dials the all too familiar number. It rings once and Luke picks up.

"I didn't wake you did I?" Lorelai asks worriedly, hoping that she hadn't woken him, or anyone else in the house up.

"No, you didn't. I was just having a cup of tea." They'd passed the need for formal salutations years ago. "Are you ok?"

Lorelai looks over at Christopher, who is watching her curiously and shakes her head. "Not in the slightest, but I can't leave Rory here, and I really need to talk to you."

Without a thought Luke responds: "I'll be right over. Are you hurt?"

She smiles at his concern. "No, well, not physically anyway."

"I'm on my way. Just one more thing. Do I need to kick his as?"

Lorelai chuckles. "Yes, but Rory probably wouldn't like that too much."

Luke sighs, he was worried that something bad would happen between Lorelai and Christopher. "I'll be right over. Two minutes, three tops."

"Thank you Luke, you have no idea."

With that he hangs up the line and runs out of the house.

Lorelai hangs up the phone and looks back at Christopher who is fuming.

"What did you call him for?" He asks angrily.

Lorelai glares at him, but chooses not to respond, deciding that telling the truth would most likely end badly. They sit awkwardly in silence for a few minutes until a knock on the door is heard. Lorelai gets up to let Luke in. As soon as she sees him she embraces him in a hug. He strokes her hair for a moment and then they break apart. Christopher glaring at them the whole time.

"What's wrong?" Luke asks her quietly.

Lorelai shakes her head. "Let's talk outside." She puts on a jacket and follows Luke out of the shed, leaving a very jealous Christopher behind.

Once they're outside they walk over hill and stand staring out over the lake.

"What happened?" Luke asks concernedly, turning to look at Lorelai..

"He didn't come here for Rory." Lorelai answers quietly looking over the lake, her eyes brimming with dejected tears. "He came here to ask me out. He didn't come here to get to know his kid. He doesn't want to know her. He couldn't have been happier after she was asleep. He just wanted to get some. He doesn't care Luke."

Luke puts his arms around her and strokes her back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Lorelai." She sobs broken heartedly into his chest. A small part of her had hoped that maybe, just maybe he wanted to be there for Rory. That Rory might actually get to know her father. That she wouldn't spend the rest of her life wondering if her daddy loved her.

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Author's Note: I Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that it wasn't too dramatic or depressing. I know most of you want Christopher gone (both in this story and on the actual show) and he will be very soon (don't know about the show, but in my story). As alway, I'm always looking for complements and critisisms. 


	9. Only a Day

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Nope. Haven't gotten the copyright yet. Nope. Not now...wait. Nope. Still not now.

Chapter 9: Only a Day

Author's note: Ok, so this is really like Ch. 9 and Ch. 9 1/2. The first part was too short to post as a chapter itself, but it is more of a stand alone piece than an intergrated part of a greater chapter, hence the dividing line.

I Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. And, as always, feedback is more than welcome. Also, this will be the only chapter for about 3 days, because I'm going to visit family, and will not have access to a computer.

* * *

They hear the door to the shed open, and see Christopher walking away, head down, bag slung over his shoulder. Lorelai cries harder, and Luke shakes his head. It's taking every ounce of self restraint in his body not to pummel this guy.

Luke slowly guides Lorelai back into the shed and lays her down on her bed. He checks on Rory quickly, his heart breaking in two for this little girl, who will wake up in the morning only to find that the daddy she was so excited to see has left her again.

He walks back to Lorelai's bed strokes her hair. She tugs at his arm, silently asking him to lie down with her. He snuggles onto the little bed with her, and wraps her in his arms, allowing her to cry into his shoulder once more. After a few minutes her sobs subside and she looks up at him.

"Thank you for coming Luke. I don't know what I would have done otherwise." Luke just smiles at her and strokes her back.

Lorelai sighs sadly. "Luke, what do I tell Rory?" Luke sighs as well. He has no idea. How do you tell a little girl that the daddy she met mere hours ago is gone. How do you answer the question of why without telling the truth: That he didn't even want to know her in the first place.

"I don't know Lorelai." Lorelai nods. They simply lie there, each grieving for the pain of the little girl they love so dearly.

Slowly Lorelai falls into an uneasy sleep. Luke looks down at her face, scrunched up in anguish, obviously in pain in what ever place her dream has taken her to. He strokes her back and squeezes her tightly. Her face relaxes and she envelopes his frame with her arms.

Well, he thinks, there's no way he's leaving this house tonight. He reaches down to the end of the bed and pulls the blanket over them. Soon, he too falls into an uneasy sleep, his restless subconscious reliving the days events over and over.

Had it really been just that morning that his sister had gotten married?

* * *

The next morning Luke is awakened by the shaking of the blanket wrapped around himself and Lorelai by a very confused Rory. Dressed in her footie pajamas and holding her teddy bear she looks up at Luke questioningly.

"Luke, where's daddy?" Luke sighs.

"Just a sec ok Ror? Let me wake your mommy up and then we'll have some breakfast."

Rory nods and walks back into her room. Luke gently shakes Lorelai's head, coaxing her to open her eyes.

"Good morning." She replies sleepily.

"Morning back." He responds. They move out from under the blanket and get out of bed.

"I'm gonna make you guys some breakfast. Rory is in her room, she, well, she wants to know where her daddy is. I didn't know what to tell her…"

Lorelai simply nods and walks into Rory's room. Inside, she finds Rory with her head and half of one arm inside a little turtle-neck sweater, already wearing corduroys, and mismatched socks. She giggles and helps Rory into her shirt, kissing her nose as she does so.

"I like your socks Ror." She giggles. But Rory is in no mood for giggles.

"Mommy, where's daddy? He told me he'd be here when I woke up."

Lorelai sighs. "Sweetie, daddy had to leave. He, got an um, and important phone call and had to go back to California right away. I'm so sorry honey."

Rory's face falls. Lorelai immediately takes her into her arms and strokes her head. But Rory sheds no tears. She simply remains very quiet and pensive. Lorelai kisses her head and brings her out to the table in the kitchen where Luke is placing a big plate of chocolate chip pancakes on the table. She smiles thankfully at him and places a few pancakes onto a plate and places it in front of Rory.

"Look Ror. Luke made your favorite."

"Thanks Luke, but I'm not hungry."

Lorelai and Luke exchange saddened glances. "That's ok Rory. I'll put them into a baggie for you, and maybe you can reheat them another time."

Rory nods and sits quietly while Luke and Lorelai eat a hurried breakfast, desperate to get Rory out of the shed and get her involved in something fun that will take her mind off the disappearance of her father.

After their hurried breakfast, Lorelai, Luke and Rory go over to the Danes house, where Rory is going to spend the day with Jess and William at the park. When they arrive William greets them at the door, and gives Rory an especially big hug. Jess appears at William's side with a copy of _Robin Hood_ in his hand. He smiles at Rory and holds the book up for her to see. For the first time all day, her eyes light up and her face breaks into a smile. Rory and Jess rush into the house and sit down on the couch, opening the book excitedly, and quickly getting lost in the wonderful world that it holds within it's pages.

William then reaches over and embraces Lorelai.

"I'm so sorry my dear. Lucas called me while he was making breakfast at your house, and I couldn't believe my ears. If there's anything I can do to help…"

Lorelai smiles squeezes his arm. "Just being there for Rory is the best thing you can do for me. Thank you so much for taking her to the park with you and Jess. I don't think sitting around the Inn all day would keep her mind off of the fact that her father left, but the park with you and Jess certainly will. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to get to the Inn. Thank you again Will, you have no idea."

William nods and calls over his shoulder: "Rory dear, come say goodbye to your mom, she has to leave."

Rory comes running to the doorway and gives her mom a kiss and a hug. She then runs back to the living room to continue the magical adventures of Robin Hood with Jess. Lorelai sighs and begins to walk towards the inn.

"Hey dad, I'm gonna head to the store, I'll see you for lunch."

William nods and watches as Luke catches up with Lorelai, turning to walk backwards so that they can talk as they walk towards the center of town. He chuckles as Luke is almost hit by a car, and how Lorelai manages to pull him out of the way just in time, only to pull him on top of her and send them tumbling to the ground, laughing the whole way.

William sighs. He knows that both Lorelai and Rory are simply putting up a front. Christopher has left them again, and that will take it's toll on Rory and Lorelai later. He can't imagine walking away from these wonderful girls. If he could, he'd make sure that Christopher could never walk again, let alone walk away again. But, that wouldn't really be beneficial to the process, rewarding, but not helpful to the stuggling family.

He turns and walks into the house, letting out a dejected breath. Had it really been just yesterday morning that his daughter got married?


	10. Goodbyes and Preparations

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, I'd have been fired for not updating.

Chapter 10: Goodbyes and Preparations

Author's Note: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know I haven't updated in forever, and this chapter isn't exactly _The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_ either. I've been really really busy, and I'm going to be really busy for a while, but I will try to update more than once every two months if it's at all possible.

So, as usual, criticism and compliments are always welcome. I hope you enjoy this really short chapter. (Again, I'm sorry)

One week later:

Liz and TJ come bustling into the house laden with bags and sporting tans. Jess runs to greet his parents with cries of "You're home!" and "What did you bring me?"

Lorelai, Luke, William and Rory stand off to the side, giving the family a moment alone. William looks down at Rory, and notices her pout and crossed arms.

"Hey Ror, what's the matter?" He asks her sweetly.

"Jess is leaving." William sighs. Her first real friend is leaving her to be with his mom and dad. This can't be easy for Rory. William nudges Lorelai and nods subtly at Rory. Lorelai takes the hint and picks Rory up.

"What's shaking bakin? Turn that frown upside down." Rory giggles as she tickles her and blows raspberries on her cheeks.

"Look Rory!" Jess yells running over to them with a book held high above his head. "Cat's Cradle!" Rory shouts, squirming in Lorelai's arms, obviously yearning to be put down. Lorelai puts her down and Jess and Rory scamper up the stairs to read.

Luke looks quizzically at Lorelai. "Isn't that high school or first year college level reading?" Lorelai raises her shoulders. "I have no idea, having never reached that level of schooling." They simply chuckle and turn their attention to Liz and Jimmy who are greeting William.

"How was the honey moon?" Luke asks them as he embraces his sister. "It was amazing! Sunny the whole time. The beach was beautiful and the water was so blue! I've never seen water that blue in my whole life. It was just so wonderful!"

Lorelai smiles warmly at the newly weds. But her happiness subsides a bit as she sees Jimmy checking his watch. "Liz, we've gotta go. I've got that meeting at six and we need to unpack and get Jess settled in." Liz sighs but nods, shooting apologetic glances at William, Lorelai and Luke who smile understandingly.

"Jess" Liz calls up the stairs. Two sets of feet are heard running down the hall and the heads of both Rory and Jess peek out from the top of the stairs. "Yeah?" "We've gotta go sweetie, daddy has a meeting that he has to go to. So it's time to get your stuff together and say goodbye."

Jess sighs and Rory's face falls. They walk dejectedly into the guest room and grab Jess' things and sullenly walk down the stairs. The adults exchange their goodbyes and promises of getting together soon. Jess and Rory hug tightly. Jess hands her the book. "No, Jess, it's yours. You just got it." Jess shakes his head and pushes the book at her. Rory smiles feebly and clutches the book to her body as Jess and his parents get into their car and drive away.

Lorelai gets down on Rory's level and extends her arms towards her. Rory lets herself be embraced by her mother and leans her head on her shoulder. Lorelai brings Rory into the living room, followed by Will and Luke. They sit down on the couch while Luke goes over to the cabinet and takes something out. He kneels down in front of Rory, who turns to look at him quizzically, noticing the package hidden behind his back.

"What's that?" She asks pointing to the concealed package behind Luke's back.

"This" Luke smiles as he hands the envelope to her, "is a typed itinerary of our vacation in New York City two weekends from now."

Rory jumps onto him squealing. Lorelai and William exchange happy glances. They had been hoping that by taking Rory to the city periodically and bringing Jess to the Hollow along with frequent phone calls between the two, Rory and Jess would be able to sustain their friendship and be happy without each other.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rory shouts and runs to hug both William and Lorelai. "I'm gonna go pack!" She screams as she races up the stairs. "We're not going for two more weeks honey!" Rory's head appears at the top of the stairs, "I know, but I want to be ready now so that we can leave really early Saturday morning!


	11. Picnics

Title: What you Get

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 11: Picnics

Authors note: SORRY SORRY SORRY. I know I haven't updated since, January or something, and I'm really sorry. Life just took over completely. But now school's out and I have these lovely long summer evenings to do whatever I please, so I have time to write. I hope you'll continue to read my story, and I promise to update more regularly.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Warning, it's heavy on the family themed fluff. The next couple chapters will have more substance.

As always, Compliments and criticism are always welcome.

* * *

Lorelai leans her head on her hand and sighs. It's been a long day already, and it's only 11am. The inn isn't exactly bustling today either, so the day is only bound to get longer. And, to top it off, Rory isn't even there to keep her company. It's Wednesday, so she's at the store with Luke and William. Although, that's probably a good thing. She's been so quiet since Jess left three days earlier. Without Jess, she has time to dwell on the fact that both Jess and her father are gone. And not only did Jess leave, but he left with his happily married parents, rubbing the fact that Rory's dad doesn't have time for her in even more. Maybe with Luke and William she'll be more distracted than she would have been with Lorelai, sitting at the desk all day.

Lorelai rubs her forehead with a hand and fights to stay standing. She hasn't been sleeping all that well. Christopher's abrupt arrival and departure seem to be manifesting themselves in her subconscious, giving her terrible insomnia. Because of this, she's been spending her nights doing paperwork for the inn. Consequently, all of that extra work done in the evenings has left her with nothing to do during the day, which it turns out, only adds to the length of the day.

"Gah!" She lets out quietly, the silence finally getting to her. The phone rings and Lorelai picks it up happily. Anything to get rid of the boredom.

"Hello. Independence inn. Lorelai speaking." She says mechanically into the phone.

"Hey Lorelai."

"Oh Luke. Perfect timing. I'm going crazy here. There's absolutely no one around. I swear it's like the guests have decided it's winter and they're going to hibernate!"

"Sounds boring." Luke replies chuckling. Lorelai's been complaining about the lack of excitement at the inn all week. It's probably all of the work she's been doing at night. If she does it all at night, there's nothing left to do during the day. Maybe he'll rent a movie for them to watch tonight, give her some space from the paper work, so that she can do it at work, where it should be done.

"It is. I mean, I've got nothing to do, and there's no one around. I don't even have my darling daughter here to play with me." Lorelai whines, pouting into the phone, even though Luke can't see her.

"Speaking of the darling daughter, she'd like to come see you. We were wondering if you were to busy to have lunch with us, but obviously you've got too much going on, so maybe another day." Luke taunts, because, well, he can.

"Not funny!" Lorelai replies indignantly.

"We'll be there in about 10 minutes. We're bringing a picnic to have on the lawn right outside the inn, if that's ok."

"You're a mean man Luke Danes." Lorelai states and promptly hangs up on him. Luke merely chuckles as he hangs up the phone in the store, grabbing the picnic basket as he moves towards the door.

"Hey Rory, your mom's got time to have lunch with us, you ready to go?"

Rory bounds around the counter, her pigtails bouncing happily. She nods and grabs his hand as the set off for the inn.

When they arrive at the inn Rory breaks away from Luke and runs inside to tackle Lorelai with a hug. Lorelai picks her up and tickles her. The two erupt into giggles as Luke walks through the door.

"Who's hungry?" He asks as he lifts the basket a bit.

"Me Me Me!" Shout Lorelai and Rory together.

"I'm hungrier."

"No I'm hungrier!"

The two continue to argue playfully as they all move onto the lawn. Luke spreads a blanket out on the ground and takes the food out of the basket. They all sit down on the blue checkered blanket and start to eat.

"Guess what I did today Mommy." Rory says proudly.

"I don't know sweetie. What did you do today?" Lorelai asks curiously.

"I made a bird house!" Rory states with pride.

"Wow honey, that's very cool." Lorelai smiles at her daughter, and then shoots an appreciative glance to Luke, who simply smiles back.

"What does the bird house look like?" Lorelai asks Rory.

"Well, it's got a roof and walls and little windows. It's pretty. Will you help me paint it tonight?" Rory looks at Lorelai with big eyes.

"Of course honey. Where are we going to put it when it's done?"

"Outside my window. I want to see the birdies when they come to live in it. Maybe a family with a mommy and a daddy will come and have babies." Rory states happily.

Lorelai smiles at her and kisses her head. The trio continue to chat and eat contently. At 12:30 Luke looks at his watch and turns to Lorelai apologetically.

"Hey Lore, I have to get back to the shop so that my dad can have a break." He says sadly.

Lorelai nods and starts to pack up the food.

"Hey Ror, do you want to come back with me to the shop or do you want to stay here with your mom until dinner?" Luke asks Rory.

"I want to come back with you, maybe I can add something to the bird house." Rory says excitedly.

Luke and Lorelai pack the picnic back up as Rory heads into the inn to use the bathroom before they head back.

"Thanks for helping her make the bird house Luke. I haven't seen her this happy for days."

"It was no problem. It's fun to build things with her, she's always excited about the project and she's surprisingly attentive for a four-year-old. Then again, I've never seen another four-year-old not counting Jess, that reads like Rory does. And that's probably where she gets that concentration from." Luke replies, smiling softly.

Lorelai beams at Luke. His adoration for Rory is endless, and Rory's for him is just the same. As is her own, Lorelai thinks happily.

"Thank you for bringing her out here for lunch, this was just what I needed." Lorelai says gratefully to Luke.

"No problem. You've been a bit down for the past couple weeks, and I wanted to cheer you up."

"Thank you Luke." Lorelai says as she leans in to hug him. "I don't know what we'd do without you." Lorelai sighs into his chest.

"Back atcha." Luke murmurs.

Rory comes bounding out of the inn. Lorelai and Luke separate as she reaches them and Luke scoops her up.

"Bye mommy. See you at dinner." Rory says as Lorelai kisses her cheek.

"See you later sweets." Lorelai responds.

"See you at home Lorelai." Luke says, shooting her a smile as they head towards the store.

"Bye Luke." Lorelai responds, giving him the same smile. That smile doesn't slide off of her face for the rest of the day.


	12. Being There

Title: What you get

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Sigh.

Chapter 12: Being There

Author's note: Hey, so, yay! Two updates in one night. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

As always, input is always welcome, and even encouraged.

* * *

Later in the evening:

"It's so pretty mommy! Thank you for helping me." Rory exclaims happily as she and Lorelai place her birdhouse on the counter to dry overnight.

"No problem honey. It was fun, and it's beautiful." Lorelai responds.

Rory yawns and begins to rub her eyes.

"Looks like it's time for bed Ror." Lorelai smiles at her daughter. Rory merely nods her head. Lorelai picks her up and carries her up the stairs to her room and changes her into her pajamas.

"Mommy, can Will read me my story tonight?"

"Of course sweetie let me go get him. You pick out what you want him to read to you ok?"

"Ok mommy." Rory says as she begins to go through her bookshelf looking for the perfect story.

Lorelai goes downstairs to get Will who is reading the paper in the living room.

"Hey Will, would you read Rory her story tonight? She asked for you specifically."

William smiles putting his paper down and getting out of his arm chair. "Of course. There's nothing I'd rather do."

Lorelai smiles at Will as he ascends the stairs to go read Rory her bedtime story. Lorelai sits down on the couch just as Luke comes out of the kitchen. He sits down next to her and pats her leg.

"How you doin?" He asks her kindly.

"Me? Oh I'm fine." Lorelai lies, not meeting Luke's eyes.

Luke looks at her with raised eyebrows. "How are you doing, really?"

Lorelai sighs and puts her head on his shoulder. "Pretty crappy actually." Luke kisses her head comfortingly.

"I haven't been sleeping well and I'm tired all the time as a result of the not sleeping. And because of that I'm drinking more coffee which is only making me less sleepy, but then more tired in the morning. It's just a vicious cycle."

Luke chuckles quietly and squeezes her shoulders. "Why aren't you sleeping?" He asks, already knowing the answer, but hoping that maybe if they talk she'll be more comfortable and will be able to sleep through the night.

"I just…I'm mad you know? And I'm sad at the same time. I'm even sadder for Rory. She's usually this really perky kid, like she was today, but since Jess left she's been quiet and sad. Her best friend just left her, with his happily married parents no less. And then there's the whole issue of her father leaving, which brings us back to the anger. I can't believe that he'd do that to her. To just show up and then leave without a word just because the mother of his child won't sleep with him. Shouldn't it be more important to him to know Rory than to get laid? It should be right? It really should be. I just. I can't. I'm…"

With that Lorelai begins to cry quietly into Luke's shoulder. Luke strokes her head and hugs her close while she cries.

"He's an idiot Lorelai. A true idiot. He doesn't deserve such a wonderful daughter. I don't know why he wouldn't want to know her. She's amazing. You've done such an amazing job with her. You really have. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met, and you're the most amazing mother I think there's ever been. Please don't let Christopher get to you. Rory's slowly getting over his leaving, and soon she'll be just as happy as she's always been. And as far as Jess goes, they'll see each other in about a week and a half. Everything will get back to normal Lorelai. I promise it will."

Slowly Lorelai sits up a bit and smiles at Luke. He smiles back and wipes the tears off of her face.

"Thank you Luke. You have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you for being here. You're wonderful." Lorelai says sincerely. Luke simply squeezes her hands and pulls her back into a hug.

William comes down the stairs and smiles to himself at the image of Lorelai and Luke snuggled together on the couch. He walks into the living room.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Rory would like to say goodnight to you before she goes to sleep."

Luke and Lorelai get up and begin to walk out of the living room, stopping to say goodnight to Will on the way. Luke grabs Lorelai's hand as the walk up the stairs, squeezing it lightly. William grins to himself and follows them up, turning into his room as they make their way to Rory's.

Rory is lying in her bed, her eyes heavy with sleep, but stubbornly open, waiting for her goodnight kisses. Lorelai bends down first and kisses her forehead.

"Goodnight sweetie."

"Night mommy."

Luke bends down too and kisses her forehead.

"Night Ror."

"Night Luke." Rory says as she closes her eyes and falls asleep.

Luke and Lorelai tiptoe out of the room shutting the lights off and closing the door softly. Luke turns to Lorelai. "You want to watch a movie or something?"

"That sounds great." Lorelai responds.

They walk down the stairs and back into the living room quietly.

"What movie do you want to watch?" Luke asks Lorelai. She considers for a moment then her face lights up.

"Let's watch "When Harry Me Sally.""

"Again?" Luke asks surprised.

"Of course. It's a feel good movie, funny, good plot, good actors, what's not to love?"

"Pop it in then." Luke responds as he sprawls out on the couch.

Lorelai pops the movie in and sits down next to Luke, leaning into his shoulder. Luke smiles at her and puts his arm around her shoulders. They sit happily as the movie begins to play. Throughout the movie Luke can feel Lorelai leaning farther and further into his arm, indicating that she is slowly falling asleep. By the time the movie is over, Luke can feel Lorelai's rhythmic breathing on his shoulder. He looks down, and sure enough, she's sleeping soundly, snuggled into his shoulder and chest, looking calmer than he's seen her in a week.

Slowly he extricates himself from her grasp and stands up to stretch. He smiles down at the woman before him, one of the two most important women in his life. He doesn't think that he'd be able to live without them. They make his life worthwhile and fun and without them, he doesn't know what he'd do.

Deciding that she'd be much more comfortable in her own bed, rather than sprawled out on the couch, he slowly picks her up bridal style and carries her up to her bedroom. He lays her in the middle of her bed and pulls the covers over her. He tucks a stray lock of hair that's fallen over her face behind her ear and kisses her forehead. As he turns to walk out of the room he hears her soft voice behind him.

"Luke" Lorelai calls softly.

Luke turns around and looks down at her.

"Thank you." She smiles at him, sincerity shining in her sleepy blue eyes.

Luke touches her cheek softly and returns the smile. Her eyes shut slowly and her breathing becomes steady once more. Luke quietly walks out of the room and shuts off the lights, closing the door lightly behind him, happy to be the one who's there.


	13. Midnight Dreams

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Yet again, not mine.

Chapter 13: Midnight Dreams

Author's note: I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter. I'm trying to keep some excitement (I guess you could call it drama) in the story without making it too dramatic. Of course, I don't know if I'm being successful, but eh, it's fun to write.

As always, comments and criticism are always welcome.

* * *

A few nights later:

Luke makes his way to his room after cleaning up in the kitchen. He walks into his room and turns on the light, sighing as he realizes that one of his light bulbs has burned out. He changes into his pajama pants and throws on an old tee-shirt. Quietly, he unscrews the burned-out bulb and walks downstairs to grab another one. On his way back up he hears soft cries coming from Rory's room. As he nears her room the cries get louder, and he can hear her shouting in her sleep.

"Mommy! No! Mommy come back! Don't leave me! Mommy! Mommy!" Luke quickly opens her door and rushes over to the bed, gently shaking Rory out of her nightmare.

"It's ok Rory, it's ok. You're safe. It's ok. I'm here." Luke calls to her as he rouses her from her dream. Rory's eyes open slowly, leaking tears onto her cheeks. She immediately reaches for Luke, who sits down on the bed and pulls her into his lap and holds her while she cries.

"It's ok Rory, it was just a dream. It's ok." Luke murmurs as he strokes her hair and back to calm her down. Slowly, Rory lifts her head to look up at Luke.

"Do you want to tell me what happened in your dream Ror?" Rory nods her head, but doesn't loosen her grip on Luke.

"You, me and Mommy were walking in a street with lots of people, and then you were gone. We went to look for you, but then mommy was gone too, and I was all alone. I called for you and for mommy but you didn't come back. I was so scared, and there were people everywhere." Rory begins to cry again. "Is mommy here? Where's mommy?"

"She's in her room. Do you want to see her?" Luke asks her. Rory nods and continues to cry into Luke's shoulder. He gently lifts her off of his lap and carries her to Lorelai's room. He opens the door and walks over to the far side of the bed and turns on the desktop lamp. Lorelai's eyes open and then squint in his direction. Just as she's about to ask him why he's there she notices Rory in his arms. She sits up and beckons them both onto the bed. Rory crawls over to her and wraps her in a hug that could rival the hulk's grip.

"Rory, what happened sweetie, are you ok?" Lorelai asks as she strokes her sobbing daughter's back. She looks over at Luke who mouths the words "bad dream" at her. She nods her head understandingly and looks down at Rory, who's beginning to calm down a bit.

"What happened in your dream Ror?"

"You me and Luke were walking in a street with lots of people. Then Luke was gone, and we went to look for him, but then you were gone too. I called you but you didn't come back. You just left me, just like daddy!" Rory cries as more tears spill down her cheeks.

Lorelai hugs her tightly and Luke scoots closer to them and strokes Rory's head comfortingly.

"Rory sweetie, we'll never leave you. It was just a dream. We'll be here with you forever." Lorelai states lovingly to Rory. She and Luke exchange saddened glances. Rory had been making real progress over the last couple days, she'd been much happier than she had been since her dad had left, but obviously, some wounds were still running deeply in the little girl.

"Your mom's right Rory. We will never ever leave you Rory. You mean more to us than anything else. We love you, and we'll always be here." Luke says to her as she lifts her head and looks at them.

"Promise?" Rory asks quietly. Both Lorelai and Luke nod.

"We promise." They say together.

"Mommy, why doesn't daddy love me?" Lorelai and Luke look at Rory sadly.

"Why do you think that daddy doesn't love you?" Lorelai asks, trying to seems sure of herself, when she's not really sure at all whether or not Christopher cares in the slightest.

"He left." Rory states simply.

"But that doesn't mean that he doesn't love you Ror." Luke tells her, keeping his own feelings about her father at bay. Every little girl deserves to at least think that her father cares for them.

"Yes it does." Rory states indignantly. "If he loved me, he wouldn't have left. You won't ever leave me, cause you love me right?" Rory asks them both.

Lorelai and Luke are lost for words. Rory's logic makes perfect sense, but neither of them wants her to grow up feeling like her father doesn't love her.

"We won't ever leave you Rory, that's true. But your dad, he, well, he has other things in his life that keep him from being here. But he does want to be." Lorelai lies. It hurts to lie to her little girl, but it hurts more to watch her be in pain.

"No he doesn't. He doesn't have time for me. That's what you mean. I'm not important enough." Rory begins to cry again. Lorelai looks to Luke for help, but finds that he's just as lost for words as she is. Rory's a smart little girl, and it didn't escape her that her father doesn't have the time for her. And neither Luke nor Lorelai has a way to make the situation better for Rory. She knows what's going on, and no amount of bending the truth is going to fool her.

Rory slowly lifts her head and looks at Lorelai and Luke. "If he doesn't want me, then I don't need him. I've got you. I don't need anyone else."

"You've got us babe, we'll never leave you." Lorelai says as she hugs Rory tightly, her heart breaking for her little girl.

"We love you Rory." Luke says as he strokes her hair. Both of the adults are lost for words. They threesome sits together on Lorelai's bed in a sort of group hug for a few minutes until Rory begins to yawn and rub at her eyes.

"Are you sleepy sweetie?" Lorelai asks her daughter. Rory nods slightly, her eyes drooping. "Do you want to sleep in my bed with me tonight?" Lorelai asks her. Rory shakes her head, surprising both Luke and Lorelai.

"No, I'll sleep in my room." Rory responds.

"I'll take you back Ror, okay?" Luke asks. Rory nods. Luke gets off the bed as Rory gives her mom a kiss and a hug and an "I love you" which Lorelai returns as her daughter climbs out of the bed as well. Luke mouths to Lorelai that he'll be back and walks Rory back to her room and tucks her in.

"Hey Ror, why don't you want to sleep in your mommy's bed tonight?" Luke asks her. Usually Rory jumps at the chance to sleep in Lorelai's bed, but tonight, of all nights, she refused, and it has Luke slightly confused.

"My bed's more comfy." Rory states seriously. Luke chuckles. It's true, Lorelai's bed is not the most comfortable place in the world to sleep and Rory likes to be comfortable. Luke kisses Rory's temple and turns off her lamp.

"Night Ror. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Luke, I love you."

"I love you too Ror. Sleep well."

Luke quietly walks out of Rory's room and back across the hall into Lorelai's room. Lorelai is sitting in her bed, in the exact same position that she was when Luke and Rory left minutes ago. Lorelai turns her head as Luke comes into the room and shuts the door. Luke walks over to the bed as Lorelai moves over making room for him to sit with her. Luke looks closely at Lorelai's face and can see small tears silently running down her cheeks. He gently puts his arm around her.

"God Luke. She knows that her dad doesn't want to be here, and that he doesn't have time for her. It's not fair. No little girl should have to think a that about her dad. Even my dad played with me a bit when I was little. I never felt like he didn't care when I was little. It's not fair. She doesn't deserve this. She's so sad, and I can't do anything to help her. She sees through everything I tell her. She says she doesn't need her father. It breaks my heart to hear her say that." Lorelai says while tears continue to stream down her face. Luke squeezes her shoulders lightly and strokes her head comfortingly.

"It's killing me too Lorelai. I just want to find him and beat him into the ground for this. That little girl is the most amazing girl that I have ever met, and you're right, she doesn't deserve this. I don't know how anyone could ever leave her."

Lorelai looks up at Luke with adoration. "She's got you though Luke."

Luke smiles at her but shakes his head. "She needs her dad Lorelai. No matter how much I love her, I can't replace her dad. Her hearts been broken and I don't think that I can make that go away. I can't fix the fact that Christopher doesn't have time in his life, or the desire in his life for his daughter. I wish I could fix that, but I can't. I could hurt him, but that probably wouldn't help."

"Would make me feel better though." Lorelai smiles at him.

"Me too." Luke says. They chuckle quietly but Lorelai sobers quickly. "What do we do Luke?" She asks him.

"I guess," he sighs "I guess we just wait it out. We give her all the love and time and energy that we can, and hope that with time her heart heals."

Lorelai nods her head. It's not much, but it's the best that they can do. But as she looks at Luke and sees the love for her daughter shining in his eyes, she knows that they'll be fine, and that everything will heal over time. Slowly both Luke and Lorelai fall asleep, Lorelai's head nestled in the crook of Luke's shoulder, an arm flung over his stomach, and Luke's arms holding her securely.

* * *

Note: Since many people have been asking me I feel as though I should explain: At this current point, Luke and Lorelai are not together. I'm taking my time with them. I enjoy exploring family dynamics, and the relationships between close friends. How in a way, that is the best relationship of all, and (at least I believe) the best of romantic relationships come from the strongest of friendships. Although this is of course, a bit more dramatic than actual life, I'm exploring the idea of a family that is not a traditional family (as is the theme Gilmore Girls itself) and I hope that you'll all continue to join me for the ride. 


	14. Of Cities and Smiles

Title: What you Get

Disclaimer: Yet again, not mine.

Chapter 14- Of Cities and Smiles

Author's note: So this chapter is a bit lackluster (at least in my opinion), but I wanted to get them to the city to see Jess and Liz and Jimmy. So bare with me, while I take the clan to the city. I hope that you enjoy the chapter, and there will be more soon.

As always comments and critisism are welcome.

Saturday Morning:

"Come on Lorelai, if we don't leave soon, we won't get there until it's dark outside!" Luke shouts up the stairs to Lorelai. He, Rory, and William are already at the door ready to leave for their weekend in the city, Lorelai however, is still packing.

"Come on Mommy! I wanna see Jess!" Rory yells up to her mother. William simply shakes his head at the pair.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Lorelai responds as she appears at the top of the stairs struggling to bring her suitcase down the steps.

Luke sighs and walks up the stairs to take the suitcase from her. She gives him a smile which he responds to with an exasperated growl, although they both know that he wouldn't want her to change a bit. He carries her suitcase out to the car and puts it in the trunk with the rest of the bags. William helps Rory into the car and into her car seat, and then climbs in the back with her. Luke gets in the drivers seat and Lorelai hops into her seat riding shotgun. And with that they're off on the way down to the city.

About ten minutes into the drive Rory asks excitedly; "Are we there yet?" All three adults chuckle. Rory sits in her car seat bouncing with excitement, a grin stretching across her face. She's been waiting with great anticipation for this weekend to arrive, and it's obvious that she wants to get to Jess' house as soon as possible.

"Only about two more hours Ror." Luke responds. Rory nods her head and looks out the window.

Two hours later, the foursome arrives in the city. They park in the garage of Liz and Jimmy's building where they'll be staying for the weekend. Luke and William unload the car while Lorelai helps Rory out of her car seat and tries to keep her from running up the stairs without them.

"But mommy I wanna see Jess!" Rory states indignantly as Lorelai holds her hand firmly and keeps her with the group as the move towards the elevator, bags in tow.

"I know sweetie, we're going to be there in a minute or two. Then you guys can spend all of the time you want together." Lorelai replies, smiling down at her daughter. She's glad that Rory's so happy. This trip came at just the right time.

They arrive on the right floor and make their way to Liz and Jimmy's apartment. William knocks on the door, Rory standing in front of him excitedly. When Jimmy opens the door for them, Jess is standing at his side, a grin upon his face. When they see each other, Rory and Jess shout in excitement and hug each other tightly. Immediately, Jess pulls Rory into his room and starts explaining about all of the books he has. The adults chuckle and greet each other happily. Liz comes into the foyer and greets them as well. Jimmy and Luke move the bags into the living room and they all sit down to chat.

"So, if it's ok with you guys, we thought that Rory could sleep in Jess' room on a mattress." Liz says after they've all gone around about how work is and how everyone's health is doing.

"That sounds fine." Lorelai responds.

"And Dad, you can have the guest room. And Luke and Lorelai, this couch pulls out into a bed. I think we have another mattress around here too if you want it." Liz states.

Lorelai and Luke look at each other and shrug. "We're adults, we can share the bed for a night or two, not an issue, right?" Luke says looking at Lorelai who nods.

"Why don't you guys get comfortable, unpack and whatnot, and Jimmy and I will get lunch ready." Liz says to the group.

"You want any help sis?" Luke asks as they all get up to do their respective tasks.

"No thanks, you just relax. You're our guest." Liz says warmly to her brother. She and Jimmy disappear into the kitchen, while William goes into the guest room to unpack for the weekend. Lorelai and Luke look around the living room.

"I think we'll unpack tonight, don't you think? That way the living room will still be usable." Luke asks Lorelai.

"Sounds good. Let's just relax, like Liz said. You especially mister. You just drove two hours to the city with a four-year-old in the back seat. That's quite a feat." Lorelai states as she plops down on the couch.

"Rory was great. Only one or two "are we there yet." You on the other hand, you're tiring." Luke mocks as he too sits down on the couch.

Lorelai picks up a pillow and whops him in the face with it in return. Luke grabs the pillow and pulls it away from her, grabbing her arms and quickly pinning her down to the couch as he begins to tickle her. Lorelai shrieks and tries to get away, but is unsuccessful. Liz comes into the room and smiles at her brother. It's been a long time since she's seen him this happy. She clears her throat and the pair calm themselves down.

"Lunch is almost ready, could you guys go get the kids ready to eat?" Liz asks them as their breathing slowly returns to normal.

"No problem." They respond.

"Oh, and could you get Rory and Jess too?" Liz smirks at them as she goes back to the kitchen.

"Very funny!" Luke calls after her. When he catches Lorelai's eye, they both begin to laugh at themselves as they go to Jess' room and knock on the door.

"Lunchtime guys." Lorelai calls. They hear the distinctive sound of a book being put down, and the patter of feet coming to the door. Rory and Jess emerge from the room smiling happily as they all go into the kitchen for lunch.

The group passes the rest of the day happily. Liz and Jimmy take them to see the empire state building, a playground in their area, and the public library, where they end up spending two hours instead of ten minutes because of the little bookworms. After the library they all go out to dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant called "Michellos" that Liz, Jimmy and Jess frequent. When they get back Jess and Rory can hardly keep their eyes open, so Lorelai and Liz get them ready for bed and the whole clan piles into Jess' room to say goodnight.

After saying goodnight to the kids, Liz and Jimmy bid the rest goodnight as well. Shortly after them, William says goodnight too, and Lorelai and Luke are left alone.

"I guess we should pull the bed out and try to get some sleep." Lorelai says to Luke who nods. They remove the couch cushions and pull out the bed and put on the sheets and blankets. They each take turns in the bathroom and climb into bed. Luke turns out the lights and they lie there silently for a few minutes.

"You tired?" Lorelai asks Luke.

"Not in the slightest." Luke replies. They chuckle and turn towards each other.

"Rory's so happy to be here, it's really great." Lorelai says happily.

"Yeah. Jess seems pretty jazzed about it too." Luke replies.

"I'm glad that they met. They get along so well, it's really nice." Lorelai says. Luke nods and smiles at her. They lapse into silence for a while. Luke brushes a stray piece of hair off of Lorelai's face. She smiles at the gesture, and tries to stifle a yawn.

"You getting sleepy?" Luke asks her. She nods as her eyes begin to droop. He smiles at how much she looks like Rory when she does that. He pulls her into his arms and kisses her head.

"Goodnight Lorelai."

"Goodnight Luke."

They both fall asleep with smiles on their faces, happy to be happy.


	15. Of Cities Again and Sleeping

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Never, Never, Never Nevernevernevernevernever mine.

Chapter 15- Of Cities Again and Sleeping

Author's note: It's a bit long tonight, but I couldn't find a suitable place to break it up…so enjoy.

As always comments and critisism are always appreciated.

The next morning:

Lorelai wakes up blinded by the early morning sun pouring through the windows devoid of curtains. She tries to roll over but finds herself held tightly in place by a very warm arm. Luke's arm. She smiles and turns her head to look at him. Suddenly, the warm arm starts to move and Luke opens his eyes, squinting at the windows.

"I guess Liz never thought about daybreak and this pull-out bed." He says tiredly. Lorelai giggles.

"And a happy hello to you too." She replies smiling. Luke chuckles and moves his arm slightly. Lorelai takes this opportunity to roll over and shield her eyes from the sunlight. Luke cranes his neck to check the time on the VCR. A digital 6:02 blinks back at him.

"What time is it?" Lorelai says, sleep heavy in her voice.

"6:02." Luke replies.

"In the morning?" Lorelai asks scandalized.

"No, 6:02 at night, when the sun shines as brightly as the lights of Broadway. In the morning Lorelai." Luke replies sarcastically, shutting his eyes to block out the sun.

"What time is everyone getting up?" Lorelai asks, leaning into Luke's chest.

"Nine or ten, I think." Luke replies, opening his eyes and looking down at her through squinting eyes.

"Sun sucks." Lorelai proclaims.

"That it does." Luke agrees.

"Wait, I've got an idea." Lorelai says excitedly. She pulls the blankets over their heads, plunging them into semi-darkness, with a tinge of green. She smiles triumphantly at Luke, who merely shakes his head wondering why he didn't think of it first.

"There, now maybe we can get back to sleep." Lorelai states as she snuggles farther into Luke's embrace.

"Sounds good to me." Luke replies, tightening his arms around her. Within minutes they are both sound asleep again.

Three and a half hours later Liz walks into the living room to wake Luke and Lorelai up. She stares at the bed for a moment, confused as to why they're covered head to toe in the blanket, but decides to ignore it.

"Morning guys." She says loudly.

Luke and Lorelai start, clunking heads slightly. Luke removes the blanket from them and looks over at Liz, who's laughing at them rubbing their heads.

"The kids are up and ready to go, I suggest you guys follow suit. Breakfast's in about twenty minutes." With that she turns and walks into the kitchen to help Jimmy cook, smiling to herself.

Luke and Lorelai look at each other and laugh. They slowly get out of the bed and get ready for their second day in the city. Once they've washed, dressed and set the living room in order, they join everyone in the kitchen for breakfast. Luke goes to help Liz serve breakfast but she shoos him away and tells him to sit down and relax. He does so, grumbling. The group has a great breakfast and then heads to the museum for the day.

Rory and Jess are fascinated by everything they see. They constantly ask questions and take the time to read each caption at every display before they move on. The adults are equally impressed by the museum's spread, which none have them have seen in years. At about two they eat lunch in the cafeteria, and then they head up to the top floor to look at the dinosaurs. At around five the group heads back to the apartment. Jess and Rory wander into Jess' room and collapse onto their beds, talking quietly. The rest move into the kitchen to chat while Liz prepares dinner.

"Do you want some help sis?" Luke asks. Liz shoots him a dirty look and continues to cook.

"You know son, it wouldn't kill you to let someone else help you out once and a while. You do it for us everyday, let Lizzy cook for you." William says kindly, but firmly to his son. Luke sighs.

"So Lorelai, how's the inn business doing?" Jimmy asks, turning to look at Lorelai.

"Oh, it's going very well. We're heading into the tourist season now, so business is picking up. Actually, this weekend is the first time that our new concierge will be alone at the inn for more than a day."

"The snotty French guy?" Luke asks, the name escaping him.

"Yes, Michel is flying solo this weekend. He was pretty excited about it when I left, I just hope everything's going well."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Despite his manner, he seems like a pretty competent young man." William says reassuringly to Lorelai. Lorelai gives him a smile.

"Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes guys." Liz says as she wipes her hands off on a dish-towel and sits down at the table. The group nods.

"How's your store doing Liz?" Lorelai asks, noticing some unfinished jewelry sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Oh we're doing really well. I've actually had some corporate offers to design jewelry for big companies." Liz says proudly. A chorus of congratulations echoes throughout the room from Luke, Lorelai, and William.

"Wow honey, that's wonderful." William says happily.

"And on top of the publicity, she's getting around two-thousand per design contract." Jimmy says proudly. Liz blushes and gets up, mumbling something about getting the chicken out of the oven.

"She's being modest, but it's really taking off. We may have enough combined with my salary at the end of the summer to send Jess to a private elementary school. The district near our building isn't that great, and there's a program at a good private school for kids who come already reading." Jimmy says shooting a loving glance at Liz.

"It sounds really great, and we're sure that Jess would love being in a class with some other kids who can read and share some of his interests. He hasn't managed to make any friends here yet." Liz says as she takes the chicken out of the oven and puts it on a platter.

"Wow you guys, that sounds amazing." Luke says, happy that they're doing so well. Liz really struggled in the early years of Jess' life to keep her life on track, but it seems like she and Jimmy are really soaring together.

"Thanks Lorelai." Liz smiles at her and then turns to Luke. "Hey Luke, since you're so eager to help, could you go get the kids washed up for dinner?"

"Sure." Luke says. As he goes to get the kids ready, the rest set the table and serve the dinner.

The group has another wonderful dinner. Afterwards the kids get ready for bed and they all pile into the living room to watch a movie. Halfway through Rory and Jess pass out. Luke and Jimmy carry them into Jess' bedroom and tuck them in. The adults finish the movie chat for a while. At about ten they say their goodnights and head into their respective rooms. Lorelai and Luke pull the bed out and get ready for bed.

When Luke comes out of the bathroom he finds Lorelai sprawled out on the bed watching TV. She looks up as he comes out of the bathroom and scoots over to make room for him on the bed.

"What'cha watching?" Luke asks her as he gets comfortable on the bed.

"Saturday Night Live. But it's a re-run." She responds switching the TV off and turning towards Luke. "Liz and Jimmy seem like they're doing really well."

Luke nods his head. "I'm really excited for her, she seems so happy."

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" Lorelai asks.

"I was thinking around eleven or twelve. That way we could get back in time for dinner and an early night, you have work in the morning on Tuesday and so do my dad and I, and Rory has pre-school, so we should all get a good nights sleep." Luke responds.

"I guess we should turn in then, especially if we're going to get a repeat good morning from the happy sun." Lorelai says yawning.

"Not to mention, I'm bushed." Luke replies. Lorelai starts giggling. "What's so funny?" Luke asks her.

"You said 'I'm bushed.' It was funny." Lorelai says still giggling.

Luke shakes his head at her and climbs under the covers. Lorelai follows suit and turns off the lights. She scoots over and lays her head on Luke's outstretched arm. He lays an arm over her stomach and kisses her head. They fall asleep quickly, comfortable in each other's arms.

The next morning the group eats a leisurely brunch and then packs up to head home. Rory and Jess procrastinate as much as possible adding about an hour to the departure process, but eventually parting time comes. They hug for a while and exchange books, promising to read them and call each other soon. The adults hug goodbye and soon the Gilmore-Danes clan is back on the road headed for Stars Hollow.

Rory sits sadly staring out the window, but with some tickling and jokes she perks up again, deciding that she'll call Jess when they get home. Lorelai shoots an appreciative glance at William who smiles back in return while he listens to Rory's retelling of an escapade that she and Jess had with another kid on the playground.

When they arrive home William and Rory go into the living room for some TV and a nap, while Luke and Lorelai unpack the car. Once everything is unpacked Luke and Lorelai sit in the kitchen and chat for a while. Around five Luke begins to make dinner, helped slightly by Lorelai, who in her years with the Danes men has learned to do some simple kitchen tasks. About a half hour later the group sits down for dinner, happy to be home.

After dinner Rory gives Jess a call and they chat for 45 minutes. Once they're done talking Lorelai gives Rory a bath and she, William and Luke tuck her into bed.

"Thanks for bringing me to the city." Rory says sleepily to them as she receives her goodnight kisses.

"It was our pleasure sweetheart." William replies as he kisses her forehead and heads out of the room to his bedroom for the night.

"We were happy to do it." Luke tells her as he kisses her goodnight.

"Anything for you Rory, see you in the morning." Lorelai says as she hugs and kisses her goodnight and she and Luke leave the room, switching off the lights and closing the door.

They head down to the living room to chat for a while before heading to bed themselves.

"That was fun wasn't it?" Lorelai asks Luke as they head up the stairs to go to sleep.

"Yeah it was." Luke replies as they pull into a hug.

"Night Luke." Lorelai smiles up at him.

"Goodnight Lorelai." Luke replies, dropping a kiss to her head as they pull out of the hug.

They go their separate ways and get ready for bed. They both lie in bed for about an hour, unable to sleep. Lorelai finally decides to go get a glace of water because she can't stand just lying in her bed wide awake for another second. On her way to the stairs she bumps into Luke who's headed in the same direction.

"What are you doing up?" He asks her.

"Couldn't sleep. You?" He replies.

"Couldn't sleep either." She responds.

They go down to the kitchen and grab some water and then head back up.

"You wanna come watch some TV in my room?" Luke asks.

"That be fun. I don't know why I can't sleep, I slept just fine at Liz' and usually I can't sleep at all in any bed but mine." Lorelai responds as they walk into Luke's room and pile onto his bed.

"Me too." Luke says.

As they watch TV for a minute or two they both begin to yawn.

"You getting sleepy?" Luke asks Lorelai as her eyelids begin to droop.

"Yes actually. I don't get it, I wasn't tired a minute ago, or an hour ago when I was in my bed."

"Me either." Luke responds, but Lorelai has already fallen asleep. He smiles and turns the TV off and tucks them both under the blanket. He reaches behind him and turns out the light. Pulling Lorelai into his arms he closes his eyes and falls asleep almost instantly.


	16. Crying For Help

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not a thing.

Chapter 16: Crying For Help

Author's Note: Another long one. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and I promise that I have my reasons for doing everything that happens in this chapter. Read it all of the way through, that's my only plea, and don't kill me.

Comments and criticism are always welcome.

A few days later Luke, Rory, and William are running the hardware store.

"Hey dad, I'm gonna head back to the store room and straighten out a bit ok?" Luke calls to his dad as he heads to the back.

"Alright son, we'll be here." William responds. He shakes his head and smiles as he straightens out some receipts. Sometimes he doesn't know how Luke does it, but he's always on top of everything.

Rory comes bouncing behind the counter to grab her coloring book and crayons. She sits down and grabs a crayon out of bag and begins to color. William looks down at her and smiles. He tugs gently at his collar, the store has suddenly warmed up a bit. He goes back to counting receipts, but has to stop to wipe his brow because he's sweating heavily. All of a sudden he feels a sharp pain in his chest and feels his knees buckle. Rory looks up from her coloring book at him and notices his pale face.

"You ok Will?" She asks concerned.

"I…I…" Will tries to respond but the world is quickly closing in around him. In a matter of moments he blacks out completely and slumps down onto the counter. Rory jumps up and shakes him.

"Will? Will! Grandpa Will?" She asks frightened. When he doesn't respond she turns around to look for Luke, who is no where to be found.

"Luke! Luke!" She calls, but there's no response. Growing frantic she starts screaming and shaking Will's leg.

"Luke! Luke! Help! Luke! DADDY!" She calls out. That gets Luke's attention. He comes running into the room, and his breath catches in his throat when he sees his father slumped over the counter, and Rory crying frantically at his side, trying in vain to wake him up.

Luke rushes over to them and tries to revive his father. Unsuccessful, he grabs the phone on the wall and dials 911, quickly explaining the problem to the operator, who immediately dispatches an ambulance and tells Luke to move his father as little as possible, but to check for a pulse and vital signs. Luke does so and finds that his father still has a pulse and is breathing steadily, but rather hard. Luke then dials the inn and leaves a message for Lorelai telling her to meet them at the hospital as soon as possible.

Luke then looks down at Rory who has collapsed to the floor sobbing. He quickly picks her up and tries to calm her down. Her cries quiet slightly, but steady tears continue to run down her cheeks.

"What happened Ror?" Luke asks as calmly as he can.

"He got really white and then he fell over." Rory responds through hiccups. Luke strokes her head and puts on a brave face for her.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Rory asks, her voice full of fear.

"He's strong Rory. He's breathing and his heart's beating, he'll be ok." He tells her, trying to look sure of himself.

The ambulance arrives quickly and the EMTs rush into the dinner, load William onto a gurney and bring him into the ambulance, quickly followed by Luke and Rory. The ride to the hospital is short but it feels like an eternity for Luke. Rory has stopped crying, but her grip on Luke hasn't loosened a bit. He rocks her gently as he watches the EMTs check his father's pulse and vitals. Truthfully, he's frightened just as much as Rory is. What if it's the cancer, he thinks. What if it's back. What if they can't beat it again? He's broken out of his thoughts when the EMT tells him that they've arrived at the hospital.

"We're going to bring your father into the ER. You and your daughter can wait in the waiting room, and someone will be out shortly to explain everything to you."

Luke nods and follows the EMT into the hospital waiting room. He walks over to the desk and gives the receptionist the necessary information about his dad. He sits down with Rory still in his arms. She looks up at him.

"He'll be ok right?" She asks again.

"He'll pull through Rory, I'm sure he will." Luke says, trying just as much to convince himself of it as Rory. Rory nods and lays her head down on Luke's shoulder. A few minutes later, he feels her fall asleep on his shoulder, the stress of it all finally getting to her.

About 15 minutes later Lorelai rushes into the room looking around frantically until she spots them. She rushes over to them bursting with questions. Luke slowly moves Rory off of his lap and places her gently in the seat next to him. He then grabs Lorelai's hand and pulls off to the side of the waiting room to explain what's going on.

"Is he ok? What's going on? What's wrong?" She asks almost hysterically. Luke puts a hand on her arm to calm her down. She calms a bit and looks into his eyes searching for answers.

"We don't know anything yet. I wasn't there when it happened, but Rory says that he went pale and collapsed. I called the ambulance and they rushed us here. He's got a steady pulse and he's breathing. They're running tests right now to find out what's wrong. But that's all I know." Luke says calmly. Lorelai looks at him worriedly.

"Luke, what if it's the…" She can't even finish her sentence. The thought of his cancer being back is just too horrible.

"I don't know Lorelai, I just don't know." Luke responds helplessly. Lorelai pulls him into a hug and they stand there holding each other for a few minutes before they break apart an walk back to where Rory is huddled in chairs and sit down, not speaking. Lorelai looks over at Luke and sees the anguish in his face. She reaches and grabs his hand. He looks up at her and she thinks that she can see the shadow of a smile on his face, but it quickly disappears.

Twenty minutes later a doctor comes out of the double doors and walks over to them.

"Are you the family of William Danes?" He asks. Lorelai and Luke nod. "He's awake and he'd like to see you. I'll explain everything to all of you once we're in his room."

Lorelai and Luke nod. Lorelai gently picks Rory up and they follow the doctor to William's room. When they walk into the room William is sitting in the bed looking slightly pale but well. William smiles at them and beckons them over to the bed. Rory wakes up and looks over at Will, a grin spreading across his face when she realizes that he's awake. William opens his arms for her and Lorelai hands her to him as she goes to stand next to Luke, placing her hand in his comfortingly.

"Are you ok Will?" Rory asks looking up at him.

"Well, I think the doctor wants to tell us just that, so let's listen to him ok?" Will responds with a smile to Rory as they all turn their attention to the doctor who smiles at them.

"Well, you'll all be happy to know that the cancer is not back, you're in perfect condition in that respect." He begins. A collective sigh of relief can be heard throughout the room. Luke puts and arm around Lorelai and gives her a squeeze as they exchange relieved glances.

"That's great, thank you doctor. But, if it wasn't the cancer, what do I have?" William asks.

"You have a case of stable Angina Mr. Danes. You're in no dire danger, but you will have to cut back on all red meat and cholesterol, and it would probably be best for your health if you considered retirement. It's not a concern at the moment, but your condition could worsen with exertion and overwork, and at your age, we want to keep your heart as healthy as possible." The doctor tells them, happy to be able to bring good news to this group instead of bad.

William sighs but nods. He's not exactly thrilled that he needs to retire, but compared to the cancer, this is welcome news. Luke and Lorelai exchange happy glances. Rory looks up at Will and smiles.

"So you're ok?" She asks happily.

"Yep. You're not getting rid of me any time soon. Actually, you'll see more of me, because I have to stop working." William responds.

"Cool! That means you'll have more time to play with me then." Rory says excitedly. The group laughs and turns their attention back to the doctor who informs them of some medicines that will help William's condition, and some lifestyle changes that will strengthen his heart. Four hours later they're able to leave the hospital.

The drive home is a quiet but happy one. When they get back to the house Lorelai helps William, who is still a bit shaky on his feet, into the living room and into his favorite arm chair. Rory joins him, and they watch a bit of television together for a while before they both fall asleep, exhausted by the day.

Lorelai and Luke head into the kitchen and start to make dinner: Salad and fish. They've decided to jump start William's diet, no red meat at all, just to be safe. After the family eats dinner they all pile back into the living room to watch a movie. At about eight William heads upstairs to bed, and Luke and Lorelai tuck an exhausted Rory into bed.

She looks up at them. "Grandpa Will's ok right?" She asks one last time, just to make sure.

"He's just fine sweetie. He'll be here with us for a long time." Lorelai responds as Luke nods. Rory smiles happily as they kiss her goodnight and falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

Lorelai and Luke quietly walk out of her room and shut the lights off. They walk down to the living room and collapse on the couch, the weight of the day finally getting to them. Lorelai turns to look at Luke. He looks exhausted and drained. She places a hand on his thigh.

"How you doin?" She asks him kindly. He sighs and places his hand over hers.

"I'm…god. I'm relieved. Today was a nightmare. I thought his cancer had come back. I was sure of it, and I didn't know what I'd do. To tell you the truth, I was scared shitless." He admits looking down at their hands. Lorelai squeezes his hand gently.

"Of course you were. So was I. It was scary." She says quietly. They sit quietly for a few minutes, reliving the day.

"How do you think Will's going to take retirement?" Lorelai asks amusedly.

"Terribly, I'd imagine. I don't think I've ever seen him fritter time away." Luke responds chuckling as well. Within a minute they're both laughing hysterically, releasing all of the tension of the day. Minutes later they both begin to calm down. Lorelai rests her head on Luke's shoulder and he strokes her hair.

"I guess we should head to bed soon, I have to be at the store early tomorrow." Luke says after a while. Lorelai nods. They get up off the couch and head up the stairs. They take their turns in the bathroom and change into their pajamas. When Lorelai walks out of the bathroom she hears muffled sobs coming out of Luke's bed room. She walks in quietly and finds Luke sitting on his bed, head in his hands, crying quietly. She sits down next to him and pulls him into a hug, stroking his back comfortingly.

"He could have died. Today could have been the last day that I'd have ever seen my dad. I just, I…" Luke says quietly, tears silently running down his cheeks. Lorelai wipes them away softly.

"But he didn't die. He's here, and he'll be here for a long time." Lorelai says comfortingly looking into his eyes and smiling sadly. Today was terrifying for her, and she can't even imagine how frightened Luke must have been. Luke nods and wipes at his eyes.

"Sorry, I thought you'd already gone to bed." He says quietly after a moment. Lorelai looks at him surprised.

"So you waited for me to go to sleep to have your feelings about your dad's collapsing today?" She asks shocked. Luke nods meekly, not meeting her eyes. Lorelai turns his head to look at her.

"No way mister. You don't have to do this alone. I'm here. The next time you need to cry or be upset, please let me know. I don't want you to go through this alone. Asking for help isn't a crime you know." She says firmly but lovingly. Luke nods. Lorelai pulls him onto the bed, turns out the light, and pulls the covers over them. Luke hugs her tightly kisses her head.

"Thank you." He says quietly.


	17. Openings

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine.

Chapter 17: Openings

Author's note: Yay! Two chapters in one night! Woohoo!

Comments and criticisms are always welcome.

The next morning when Luke's alarm goes off at six both Luke and Lorelai groan. Luke reaches behind him and turns the alarm off, sitting up slightly. Lorelai sits up a bit as well, and rubs the sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning." She says sleepily.

"Good morning." Luke replies, squeezing her shoulders. He disengages from her arms and stretches. Lorelai yawns and blinks her eyes.

"Why don't you go back to sleep, I'll set the alarm for eight." Luke suggests. Lorelai shakes her head.

"Nah, I'll get up now and go to work. There's a bunch of work I have to catch up on from yesterday." Lorelai responds. Luke nods and they both get out of bed and get ready for the day. Luke makes them breakfast and they chat quietly while they eat. When they're finished they wash the dishes and then grab their stuff and get ready to go. Lorelai writes a note for Will telling him that she went to work early, and that he can call her to come and get Rory when they wake up. Together Lorelai and Luke leave the house and head to work, chatting the whole way.

At about 8:30 the telephone at the front desk rings and Michel answers it.

"Hello, Independence Inn, Michel speaking." He says mechanically into the phone, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Hello Michel, it's William, could you please hand me to Lorelai?" William asks kindly.

"Fine." Michel sighs. "One moment." He walks into the kitchen where Lorelai and Sookie are chatting happily and hands the phone to Lorelai muttering about not being an answering machine. Lorelai takes the phone giggling.

"Hello?"

"Hello Lorelai dear, I was just calling you to let you know that I'll take care of Rory today." William says.

"Oh, you don't have to do that Will." Lorelai responds.

"Nonsense. I am a man of leisure now. I can do whatever I please, except work. And today, it pleases me to spend time with my favorite little girl." William states importantly.

Lorelai laughs. "Well, then of course, she's all yours."

"Thank you my dear. We'll see you at dinner." William says happily.

"See you later Will. Give Rory a kiss for me." Lorelai says smiling. They hang up and William turns to Rory who is eating her breakfast.

"So, what shall we do today?" He asks her.

"Can we go to the park?" She asks sweetly.

"Anything you'd like sweetie." He responds smiling. Rory grins and finishes her breakfast, ready for a fun day with William.

That night Lorelai runs into Luke as she's walking back from the inn, and they walk back to the house together. When they open the door they can hear Rory and William laughing in the living room. As they head in they see William wearing a crown and fake earrings. Rory is adorned in fake jewelry as well and the box to Pretty Pretty Princess is sitting on the floor in front of them. Lorelai and Luke hold back laughter as they take in the scene. When Rory spots them she jumps up and runs over to them.

"Look at me mommy! I'm a pretty princess!" She says excitedly. Lorelai giggles.

"Yes you are sweetie."

"And so apparently is Grandpa Will." Luke says, laughing. Will simply smiles at them and begins to remove the play jewelry. Rory does the same. Together they put the game away.

"I'm gonna go start dinner." Luke says to the room at large.

"I'm gonna help." Rory declares and follows him into the kitchen.

Lorelai walks over and sits down on the couch across from Will who is now sitting in the armchair.

"How ya feeling Will?" She asks.

"I'm feeling great Lorelai. You know, crazy as it is, I think I'm going to enjoy retirement. There's a lot of time in the day to do all sorts of things that I never get to do." He says happily.

"Like dressing up as a woman?" Lorelai asks mockingly, but kindly. William chuckles.

"Yes, like that. And other things. Fishing, reading, writing."

"You write Will? I never knew that." Lorelai says intrigued.

"Oh well, not very much, and not very well. But I used to write a lot when I was right out of school. Nothing very interesting. Just short stories and things like that." He responds embarrassedly.

"That's very nice Will. It sounds like you'll have a lot of fun with your free time." Lorelai says, happy that Will is so content with his retirement.

"Yes, it is nice. Lorelai, I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you." Will says seriously.

"Sure Will, anything." Lorelai responds sincerely.

"I was wondering if you could help me convince Luke of something." Will begins slowly. Lorelai nods her head encouragingly. "I was thinking that maybe Luke would rather turn the hardware store into a diner or something. I know he doesn't love the hardware business. And he does love to cook, and he's quite good at it too. I just thought that maybe it would be something he'd like to do, but I'm sure he'll put up a fight. He's never been very good with change. So I was wondering if you could just encourage him to do it if he comes to you about it?"

"Of course I will." Lorelai responds eagerly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea William. When are you going to suggest it to him?"

"Probably later tonight." William responds, happy that Lorelai's so excited about the idea. If anyone can convince Luke to do something, it'll be her.

"Dinner's ready!" They hear Rory call from the kitchen. Lorelai and Will head into the kitchen for dinner, smiling at the prospect of the future. After dinner Lorelai takes Rory upstairs for a bath and Will stays in the kitchen with Luke as he does the dishes.

"Son, could I have a moment of your time?" Will asks Luke.

"Sure dad." Luke says putting down the dish towel and sitting down across from his father.

"Luke, I know that you're not very fond of the hardware business.." William begins. Luke goes to interrupt but William put up a hand to stop him.

"I know you're not Lucas, so don't try to tell me that you are. I've been thinking, and not just today, but before the incident yesterday, that maybe you'd rather turn the store into something else, a diner maybe. You're very talented in the kitchen, and you'd probably enjoy running a diner far more than you would enjoy running my store forever. If you decide that you'd like to do this, the building will be yours. You could probably very easily turn the space behind the counter into the kitchen and there's enough space in the front of the store for about ten or twelve tables. It wouldn't take that much time or money to get up to the health codes, and I just thought that it might be something you'd like to do. Take some time to think about it, and let me know if the idea interests you."

With that William gets up from his chair, pats his son's shoulder and heads out of the kitchen to go to bed. Luke sits at the table dumbfounded, staring after his father. He has no idea what to do with this information. Sure he doesn't love running the hardware store, but a diner? Could he even do that? Would he be any good at it?

With these questions in mind he heads upstairs to find Lorelai. Maybe she'll have some idea of what he should do, because he surely doesn't have the slightest clue. When he reaches Rory's room he finds Lorelai reading Rory her bedtime story. Rory spots him and waves him in. He comes to sit at the edge of her bed by their feet. Lorelai finishes reading and puts the book down.

"Goodnight sweetie." She says as she kisses Rory's temple and pulls the blankets over her.

"Night mommy. I love you." Rory responds as she snuggles into the blankets.

"I love you too." Lorelai says as she steps away from the bed to let Luke kiss Rory goodnight.

"Goodnight Ror." Luke says as he gives her a kiss and a hug.

"Night Luke, I love you." Rory says as she shuts her eyes and hugs her teddy bear.

"Love you too kid." Luke responds as he and Lorelai turn off the lights and shut the door.

Luke turns to Lorelai who's looking at him expectantly.

"My dad told you about this before he told me didn't he?" Luke says as he looks at her. Lorelai simply nods, smiling.

"Can you help me? I have no idea what to do with the idea." Luke says helplessly.

"Of course. I'm here for you. I am a sounding board." Lorelai says as they walk into Luke's room and sit down on the bed.

"I just, gosh Lorelai. My own diner. I just don't know. I mean, I do love to cook, and it would be more fun than running the hardware store. And dad's right, it wouldn't be all that expensive to turn the small storage room behind the counter into a kitchen, and then to just fix the place up enough to meet health codes. It would probably be fun, but I don't know if I can do it. Running the store is one thing, but owning my own business, that's totally different." Luke says confused and slightly frustrated.

"Well, I think you'd be great at it. You love to cook, and you can make just about anything. It would be hard work for a while, but then you'd get used to it and it would be fun and easy for you. I'm sure your dad could help you figure out your business plan and insurance and everything. And I know a bunch of wonderful suppliers, that I could probably get you for cheap through the inn for the food and tableware. And you could easily get the tables at Kim's Antiques, and if you bought them in bulk they'd be pretty cheap. It sounds exciting and fun." Lorelai tells him, trying to get him to see what a wonderful opportunity it would be.

"I guess. I just, I don't know if I can do it." Luke says self-consciously.

"Of course you can. It might be different from running the hardware store, but it's still running a business, and you do that flawlessly everyday. There isn't a diner in the town yet, so there'd be no competition, and your food is wonderful. I think you'd be very successful." Lorelai says encouragingly.

"You think I should do it?" Luke asks. Lorelai nods emphatically. "Ok. Then I guess I'm opening Stars Hollow's first diner." Luke says assuredly.

Lorelai squeals and tackles him in a hug. He laughs. "You're excited huh?" He asks her.

"This is going to be so cool!" She responds bouncing up and down on the bed.

"Ok, Ok. Calm down I haven't even said yes to my dad yet." Luke tells her a smile ever present on his face at the sight of her bouncing on the bed, excited by the idea of his opening a diner.

"I know, but it's still awesome that you're going to do it. And you know, if you ever need any help painting, or waitressing, I'm your gal." She says sincerely. Luke nods his head.

"I know." He tells her thankfully.

An hour later, after discussing the menu, the décor, the space and the possible expenses, they both begin to yawn. They get ready for bed and head their separate ways. Thirty minutes later Luke hears his door open and shut and feels Lorelai climbing into his bed. She snuggles up to him and looks up at him.

"I couldn't sleep." She says simply.

"Me neither." He responds as she snuggles farther into his embrace. They both quickly fall asleep, excited and happy.


	18. Changes

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: They weren't mine the last time, and they're not mine now.

Chapter 18: Changes

Author's note: This was a hard one to write. I hope you enjoy it.

Comments and Criticisms are always welcome.

* * *

The next morning Luke pulls his father aside after breakfast and tells him that he wants to convert the store into a diner. Together he and William set up plans for the renovations and insurance changes that will need to take place before the store is ready to become an eating establishment. They then discuss what will happen to the store in the meantime. They decide that they will have a major sale to clear out the majority of the stock, and that once that has ended, Luke can begin renovating the shop and bringing it up to health codes.

Later that day Luke and Rory put together a sign that says "Store Closing, Everything on Sale" to hang in the front window of the store. The remains of the stock after the sale is over will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, per William's request. The entire town is abuzz within 15 minutes of the sign being hung. Miss Patty comes bustling into the shop 20 minutes later and looks around for Luke, who is standing behind the counter counting through boxes of screws and nails for inventory. She walks up to the counter and sets her large purse down, preparing for the attack, but Luke beats her to it.

"My dad's retiring from the business and giving me the store. I've decided to convert it into a diner, and the sale is because we're trying to clear out our stock so that I can begin construction as soon as possible. That answer all of your questions?" Luke asks her, smirking at the shocked look on her face.

Miss Patty nods weakly and makes her way out of the shop towards her dance studio. Luke chuckles and goes back to doing his inventory. By the end of the day, the whole town has been informed of the impending change of occupation.

The next two days, the entire town, at least it seems like it to Luke, shows up at the store, asking for the most random orders of supplies. At the end of the second day there is barely anything left in the shop except for a large amounts of odds and ends that need to be sorted and given to charity.

That night, after kissing Rory goodnight and saying goodnight to William, Luke and Lorelai head to the store, their arms loaded with boxes and duct tape. When they arrive at the store they put the supplies on the floor and Luke heads into the storage room to collect the buckets of odds and ends that they need to sort through and box up. When he returns he hears music playing from behind the counter and finds Lorelai dancing in the middle of the shop. He smiles and puts the buckets down with a loud thump. Lorelai turns her head and smiles embarrassedly at him.

"I just thought that some music might be nice, make it a bit less boring, you know?" She says meekly.

"You know Lorelai, you don't have to help me do this. It's going to be very boring." Luke replies, knowing just how incredibly boring it will be.

"No, no. I want to help. And it doesn't have to be really boring, we can talk and stuff. We'll just also be sorting at the same time. I can multitask." She says confidently.

Luke smiles at her and brings over the buckets. They sit down on the floor and begin to make piles of the different types of bolts, screws, nails and other random items that they find in the buckets.

"So Rory seems to be doing better." Lorelai says happily.

"Yeah, she seems much happier than she was." Luke replies as he starts a new pile made out of the…the….bumpy round things. He doesn't quite know what they are, but there seem to be a lot of them.

"Maybe she's finally getting over Christopher." Lorelai says quietly. She's glad that Rory's happier, but sad that it comes at the expense of her dealing with the fact that her father doesn't care about it.

"It seems like it." Luke replies, dumping more of the bumpy round things into the pile. Where do they come from, it's like there's a hole at the bottom of the bucket and they just keep pouring through.

"She hasn't talked about her dad at all." Lorelai says as she too begins a pile of the bumpy round things.

"Ok, what the hell are these things?" Luke says as he notices her ever growing pile of the bumpy round things.

"I have no idea. But there's a ton of them." Lorelai replies, sorting ten more out of her bucket.

They sit quietly for a few minutes, consolidating their piles.

"You know, Rory called me daddy the other day." Luke says quietly, looking down at the ground.

Lorelai's head shoots up at this. She peers at him curiously. "She did? When?"

"When my dad collapsed. I guess she tried calling me a couple times, but I couldn't hear her because I was in the back room. But all of a sudden I hear her screaming DADDY. I come running out and she's looking around for me and tugging on my dad's pants." Luke replies looking up at her, trying to gage her reaction to this information.

"Wow. Has she mentioned it since?" Lorelai asks, her face caught between a smile and a look of shock.

"No, but she hasn't been addressing me by name quite as much. It's kind of odd actually." Luke replies, still unsure of how Lorelai's feeling about this news.

"Wow, well. That's great. I mean, you, she….I don't know what to say, but it's good I think. She should get to call someone daddy, and I can't think of a better person." Lorelai tells him smiling. He smiles back and they continue to sort their buckets out happily.

A few minutes later the song on the radio changes to "I Get a Kick Out of You" sung by Frank Sinatra. Lorelai smiles and gets up and starts to dance, twirling herself around the room happily.

"I didn't think you were a Sinatra fan." Luke says amusedly, watching her dance around the room.

"I'm not a big fan, per say, but I love his voice, and this is one of my favorite songs." She answers him, skipping around. "Come dance with me." She pleads, turning to him and giving him her trade mark pout.

Luke shakes his head, but smiles at her. "Please." She implores him. Deciding that it will be easier to give in than to fight her about it Luke sighs and picks himself off of the floor and walks over to her, sweeping her into a slow waltz.

Lorelai smiles up at him. "Who knew you could dance so well." She says surprised by his ease on the dance floor. He simply smiles at her and gives her a twirl.

They dance happily for a minute, spinning all over the store, laughing at themselves when they bump into the counter and tumble to the floor.

"We're very graceful." Lorelai laughs as they hit the floor gently, Luke on top of Lorelai.

"Actually, I am very graceful, you on the other hand have two left feet." He replies jokingly.

Lorelai smacks his arm in response. In turn, Luke begins to tickle her. Lorelai tries in vain to get away, but finds herself pinned to the floor by Luke's body, no feasible means of escape available. She shrieks and tries to slap his hands away but he grabs them and pins them down to her sides.

"Ha!" She says triumphantly. "Now you can't tickle me because you're holding my hands down."

She grins cheekily at him. He simply shakes his head. Suddenly they find their heads moving towards each other and they feel their lips colliding softly. It's not fiery or lustful, but it's passionate and loving all the same. Slowly they break apart looking into each other's eyes. Lorelai beams up at Luke who looks down at her, a grin equal to hers plastered to his face. Gradually, they separate and make their way back over to the piles of bolts and screws, their hands entwined.

They spend the next thirty minutes in a comfortable silence, sorting the last bits of the left-over stock into piles and stealing glances at each other. They pack up the piles into boxes and label them. When they're finished they turn out the lights and lock up, leaving the boxes by the door, where Luke will pick them up the next day and drive them over to the center for Habitat for Humanity in Hartford.

They walk at a leisurely pace as they head for the house, their hands entwined. About half-way there Luke puts his arm around her waist and pulls her into his side. She smiles up at him and puts her head on his shoulder.

They don't talk as they walk into the house and get ready for bed. They silently take turns in the bathroom and change into their pjs. When Luke finishes in the bathroom he starts walking towards his room and finds Lorelai standing in the doorway of her room, biting her lip in a pensive manner. He gives her a smile and grabs her hand, pulling her into his room. She hugs him as he pulls the covers down and slides them into bed. She snuggles up to him and looks up at him, a content smile pulling at her features. He returns the smile and kisses her tenderly. They pull apart languidly after a moment, smiling softly. Luke squeezes her to him and they fall into a peaceful sleep, equal grins spread across their faces.


	19. Band Aids and Daddies

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 19: Band aids and Daddies

Author's note: This is a long one, and there will probably (although I make no promises) be another one sometime late tonight. Hope you enjoy.

As always, comments and criticisms are always welcome.

* * *

The next morning Luke wakes up and blinks sleepily. He looks over at his alarm clock and realizes that he never set it because he doesn't have to open the store this morning. Of course he thinks as a neon 6:37 blinks back at him, even without the alarm he's up early. He turns his head back around and looks down at Lorelai, who is still sleeping peacefully, snuggled into his chest. He strokes her hair and drops a kiss onto her temple. He spends the next ten minutes or so watching her sleep before he drifts back into dreamland himself.

Two hours later they are awakened by a bouncing Rory jumping on the end of the bed. Lorelai opens her eyes and looks down at her daughter, who is smiling broadly, thoroughly enjoying herself as she uses the bed for a trampoline. Luke slowly opens his eyes too and smiles at the bouncing little girl.

"Time to get up mommy! Will says that you only have an hour before you need to be at the inn." Rory says happily.

"Ok Ror. Hey honey, can you please stop bouncing on the bed? Luke and I are still a bit sleepy." Lorelai says tiredly.

Rory pouts but nods and sits down on the bed instead. Lorelai and Luke disengage and sit up, rubbing at their eyes and yawning. Rory crawls over to Luke and sets herself down in his lap. She looks up at him smiling.

"Can I come with you to give the boxes to charity?" She asks sweetly.

"Sure Ror. Do you want to go to the park afterwards?" He asks her, bouncing her a little in his lap.

"Yeah! That'll be fun." She responds happily.

"Ok then. Could you give me and your mommy some time to get ready Rory? Then we'll get going." Luke says to her kindly.

Rory nods and crawls out of his lap and off of the bed and skips out of the room. Luke turns to look at Lorelai. She smiles at him.

"Morning." He says softly.

"Good Morning." She responds equally as soft.

They share a short kiss and get ready for the day. When they get downstairs they find Rory and William sitting in the arm chair reading the paper together.

"Morning Will." Lorelai calls to him.

"Morning Lorelai." Will responds shooting her a smile.

"Morning dad." Luke calls to him also.

"Morning son." William responds shooting him a smile as well.

Luke and Lorelai walk into the kitchen and make themselves a quick breakfast. They put the dishes into the dishwasher and get ready to go.

"Hey Rory, you ready to get going?" Luke calls to Rory as they move into the foyer and grab their jackets.

"I'm coming." Rory calls. She comes into the foyer and looks up a Luke. "Can I go to the bathroom first?" She asks him.

"Of course. Go do what you need to do, I'm not in a hurry." He responds, patting her head. She skips off to the bathroom and Luke turns to Lorelai.

"So I'll see you tonight." He says.

"Yep. If you and Rory get tired of the park you're always welcome to come to the inn for lunch." She tells him.

They smile at each other and pull into a kiss. William begins to walk into the foyer but stops at the sight of his son and Lorelai kissing in the doorway. When they break apart he walks into the entry way and smiles at them.

"You both have a nice day." He says happily.

"Thanks. You have a nice day too William." Lorelai responds.

Rory comes running into the foyer. Lorelai bends down to give her a kiss goodbye and walks out the door, heading for the inn. Luke helps Rory into her jacket and buttons her up. Rory gives William a hug.

"We'll be back around twelve or one, I think. Unless we end up stopping at the inn for lunch." Luke tells him.

"Alright, have a nice day." William tells them. As Rory skips out of the house and heads for the driveway William turns to Luke. "So you and Lorelai?" He asks him grinning. Luke merely blushes and offers him a wave as he follows Rory out the door and to the car.

William smiles and shakes his head as he goes back into the living room to finish reading his paper.

After dropping the boxes off at the center Luke and Rory head to a large playground about 10 minutes outside of Stars Hollow. Luke helps Rory out of her car seat and she goes running off to play. Luke sits down on one of the benches and watches her as she runs around happily. About 15 minutes later she comes running up to him.

"Will you push me on the swings?" She asks sweetly.

"Sure thing Ror." Luke replies, and takes her hand walking them over to the swings. He pushes Rory on the swing for about ten minutes, and then lets her try pumping.

"Look at me! Look at me! I'm doing it!" She squeals as she falls into a steady rhythm on the swing. Luke smiles proudly as she continues to swing.

"I'm getting dizzy." He hears her say a few minutes later.

"Ok Ror, I'll stop you." He says as he grabs her swing and brings her to a halt. She smiles up at him and jumps off the swing, running back over to the play set. Luke follows her and sits back down on the bench.

As Rory is running over to the slide she trips on a rock and goes cascading to the ground, scraping her knee rather badly.

"Daddy! It hurts. Daddy!" Rory cries, holding her knee tightly.

Luke comes rushing over and crouches down next to her worriedly.

"Where does it hurt Rory." He asks, running a hand through her hair.

"My knee." Rory says whimpering. Luke gently moves her hands aside and inspects her knee. She has a nasty gash across the top of her kneecap, but it's not too deep.

"It's ok Rory. It's a pretty big scrape, but it'll be fine." He tells her. "Come on, we'll go back to the car and get this all cleaned up." He says as he lifts her off the ground and carries her over to the back of the car rubbing her back gently. He opens the door and sits her down in the trunk. He pulls the first aid kit that they have in the car over to them and gets out some gauze and antiseptic.

"This is probably going to sting a bit Ror, so why don't you squeeze my hand ok?" He says as he opens the bottle and pours some of the liquid onto the gauze. Rory nods and grabs his free hand as he sets the bottle down.

He dabs at her knee and she winces, squeezing his hand tightly. "Ok, all done." He says smiling at her a few seconds later. She releases his hand and lets out a sigh of relief, smiling up at him.

"What kind of band aid to you want Ror? I have Ariel, or Belle." He tells her grabbing two band aids out of the box and some Neosporin. Rory points to the Ariel band aid. He puts some Neosporin on the cut and covers it with the band aid, giving her knee a kiss to make it all better. She smiles at him and gives him a hug. Luke kisses the top of her head and picks her up, closing the back door of the car.

"Do you want to play some more, or do you want to go have lunch with your mom?" Luke asks her.

"Can we go have lunch with mommy? I don't wanna play anymore today." She responds.

"Sure. Let's get you into your car seat and we'll be on our way." Luke says. He buckles her into her car seat and goes to shut the door.

"Thank you daddy." Rory says softly. Luke smiles at her and gives her hand a squeeze before closing the door and getting in the front seat to drive them to the inn.

When they get to the inn Luke takes Rory out of her car seat and carries her into the inn and up to the front desk.

"Hey there you two." Lorelai says coming around the desk to take Rory from Luke. She shoots him a smile before looking down at Rory.

"What did you to today sweetie?" She asks Rory as they move towards the dining room.

"We gave the boxes to charity and then we went to the park." Rory responds looking up at Lorelai happily.

"Rory pumped all on her own on the swing today." Luke says proudly to Lorelai. Lorelai looks down at her daughter impressed.

"Wow Rory, that's wonderful!" She says. Rory looks down, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

As the sit down, Lorelai notices the band aid on Rory's knee.

"Hey Ror, what happened to your knee?" She asks Rory.

"I fell down, but daddy made it all better." Rory says cheerily.

Lorelai looks across the table to Luke who smiles back. She mouths the word "daddy" to him questioningly. He merely shrugs his shoulders and beams at her.

"Well he does have the magic touch." Lorelai says turning back to Rory. Rory nods enthusiastically and smiles at Luke as the waiter comes to take their order.

That night when Lorelai gets home she walks into the kitchen to find Luke and Rory cooking dinner, Rory wearing a little apron and sporting a bit of flour on her forehead. Lorelai giggles as she gives Rory a kiss. She tries to wipe the flour off with her hand, but only ends up smudging it more. Both she and Rory giggle again. She stands up and gives Luke a kiss.

"Welcome home." He says to her smiling as he goes back to helping Rory spread sauce on the pizza.

"We're making pizza mommy!" Rory says happily as she and Luke sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce.

"I see honey. It looks yummy." Lorelai tells her patting her head.

"It should be ready in about twenty minutes." Luke says as he and Rory very carefully put the pizza in the oven.

"Ok. Well I'm going to go change out of my work clothes. I'll be back in five." Lorelai tells them as she heads out of the kitchen. Luke turns to Rory and takes in her flour coated face and apron.

"We better go get you cleaned up too." He says chuckling as she rubs at her face.

"Ok daddy." She says happily.

Luke smiles to himself as he helps her take off her apron and they head up the stairs into the bathroom. He gets out a washcloth and wipes her face off. After washing up they head back downstairs and Rory goes into the living room to watch the news with Will. Lorelai comes down the stairs in jeans and a tee-shirt and follows Luke back into the kitchen.

"How was your day?" He asks her as they sit down at the table.

"Good. Not as eventful as yours though." Lorelai says, smiling at Luke who's blushing.

"She just started calling me daddy, I didn't prompt her or anything." Luke says looking down, trying to hide how touched he is that Rory wants to call him daddy.

"I know that. It's great. Really Luke. She seems so happy. It's a good thing." She says as he brings his eyes back up to look at her.

They smile at each other and kiss quickly. The timer on the over goes off and Luke gets up to take the pizza out of the oven.

"Should I set the table?" Lorelai asks, getting up also.

"Yeah, this'll be ready in a few minutes." Luke replies, taking out the pizza cutter and slicing the pizza.

"Hey Rory, Will, come make your drinks." Lorelai calls as she gets out the plates and silverware and begins to set the table.

William and Rory come into the kitchen and William helps Rory pour herself a glass of milk. They all sit down at the table and have a great meal, complimenting Rory on the fabulous pizza. After dinner they decide to go out and get ice cream at Westons. By the time they get back, Rory is hitting a sugar low and is almost asleep on Luke's shoulder. William bids them goodnight and heads to his room while Luke and Lorelai change Rory into her pjs and tuck her in.

"Goodnight Rory, I love you." Lorelai says as she bends down and gives her a kiss.

"Night mommy, I love you too." Rory responds, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Night Rory, I love you." Luke says as he gives her a kiss and a hug.

"Night daddy, Love you too." Rory says as she closes her eyes and falls asleep.

Lorelai and Luke smile down at her and walk out of the room hand in hand, turning off the lights and closing the door softly. They head downstairs and sit down on the couch to watch a little TV before heading up to bed. When Luke gets out of the shower and heads into his room he finds Lorelai sitting up against the headboard, reading glasses on her nose and a book in her lap.

"Whatcha' reading?" Luke asks as he slides into bed.

"A Tale of Two Cities." Lorelai replies as she takes off her glasses and places the book on the nightstand.

"Dickens. Really?" Luke asks surprised.

"I liked it when we read it in high school, but I never got to finish it, because you know, I got pregnant. I found it a couple days ago and thought I'd read it again." Lorelai responds.

Luke smiles at her, she never ceases to amaze him. "That's great Lorelai. It was a good book, we read it too."

"Well don't tell me how it ends." She says adamantly.

"I won't, I promise." He says smiling at her and turns the light out.

They snuggle into the covers and kiss lightly.

"Goodnight Lorelai." Luke says as he pulls her closer to him and gives her a slight squeeze.

"Goodnight Luke." She says, placing a kiss on his shoulder.

They fall into a peaceful sleep, smiles on both of their faces.


	20. Something New But Old

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Nu-uh. They're not mine.

Chapter 20: Something New But Old

Author's note: WARNING: Heavy on the fluff tonight. But there's some substance, substantial substance at the same time. Hope you enjoy it!

Comments and Criticisms always welcome.

* * *

A week later: 

Lorelai walks up to the hardware store at the end of the day and heads inside. The inside of the shop at this point is covered with tarps, wood and construction tools. The back room is almost finished. There are a few new shelves behind the counter and there is now a large space next to the opening to the kitchen area reserved for the new refrigerator that's expected to arrive in two weeks.

Lorelai walks over to the counter and puts her things down looking around the room. She smiles at the noticeable progress that's been made since the last time she was there two days ago. As she admires the handiwork, Luke comes into the room from the back and walks over to her.

"Almost done, just need to set up the plugs for the stove and dishwasher now." He says as he removes his work gloves and places them on the counter.

"It looks great Luke. I can't wait to see it without all of the tarps and stuff." She says giving him a grin.

"It's not that different from what it used to look like." He says looking away shyly.

"You lie." She says elbowing him in the ribs. "It's very different. There are new shelves and there's gonna be a huge refrigerator right over there." She states pointing at the space next to the kitchen. "Oh, and did I mention that it's almost a diner now?" She says giving him a pointed look.

"Fine, it's very different." Luke admits as he tries to shake some sawdust from his hair.

Lorelai reaches up and brushes it out for him, letting her hand linger on his shoulder.

"Have I said hello yet?" She asks coyly.

"I don't think that that's a good idea, I'm covered in dust and grime." Luke tells her seriously.

"I don't care." She responds as she leans in and gives him a soft kiss. He smiles as they break apart, looking down at her clothing, which is now covered in dust. She simply smiles and dusts herself off, offering him her hand as they set out for the house, locking the store behind them.

"I think I'll only need a few more hours before we're all set to clean up and start finding tables and chairs." Luke says happily as they make their way across the square.

"Well, yes, you'll be ready to clear the wood out, but don't you have to paint first?" Lorelai asks him as they turn down Peach Street.

"I hadn't really thought of that. I don't think we've painted the store since before Lizzy left." He says tiredly. "I guess I should give it a new coat. Come to think of it, the paints peeling on the far wall across from the counter."

"I'll help you. I love to paint." Lorelai says happily, squeezing his hand in excitement.

"I know. You're just full of strange passions aren't you." Luke responds nudging her gently.

"I am at that. But seriously, I'd love to help you. We can go pick out paint colors on Thursday. I have half of the day off because I covered for Michel yesterday when he needed to go home and get ready for a date. A date, can you believe it? Michel had a date. I was stunned. And on top of that, he needed four hours to primp for it. He's such a girl sometimes." Lorelai laughs, a sparkle in her eyes.

Luke smiles at her, enjoying her story, and her laughter.

"But, Michel's love life aside, does Thursday work for you?" Lorelai asks Luke as they turn into the driveway and walk up to the house.

"Thursday afternoon works perfectly. Dad said he wanted to watch Rory for the rest of the week, and she really shouldn't be in the store anyway, it's not really four-year-old safe at the moment." Luke says as they walk into the house and hang up their coats.

"Thursday it is then." Lorelai smiles at him.

"We're home." Luke calls into the house.

They hear the pat of running Rory feet, and a second later Rory skids into view out of the living room. She skips towards them happily and goes to give them both a hug, but Luke stops her when she goes for him.

"I'm a little dirty at the moment Ror, and I don't want to get your pretty dress all messy." He says squatting down to talk to her.

She pouts but nods. He gives her a kiss on the nose instead, earning a smile from the little girl.

"Hey Rory, why don't you and I go see your grandpa while daddy goes up to get changed?" Lorelai asks her. Rory nods and they head off into the kitchen to talk to Will.

Luke takes off his shoes and heads upstairs to his room to change. It's become custom throughout the last week for everyone to refer to him as daddy. No discussion was needed, it just happened. And, not that he'd tell anyone this, it has him doing summersaults on the inside.

He changes out of his dirty work clothes and into a clean tee-shirt and jeans, looking quickly over at the nightstand on Lorelai's side of the bed. His eyes catch on a picture of himself and Lorelai. The two of them are in the middle of the hardware store surrounded by tarps and saws, Lorelai on his back piggy-back-style, her face next to his, broad grins plastered to both of their faces. He smiles at the image and makes his way out of the room and down the stairs, following the sound of laughter coming out of the kitchen.

"What did I miss?" He asks as he comes into the kitchen to find Lorelai's face covered in flour and Rory and Will beside themselves with laughter.

Lorelai turns and pouts at him. "I went to start dinner, to be helpful you know? So I got out the ingredients to make that bread that you showed me how to make last Thursday, but when I went to open the flour, it puffed at me and went all over my face. And the two of them are laughing at me." She says, her eyes shining jovially, despite the pout on her face.

Luke chuckles and kisses her cheek, leaving a mark in the flower, which only fuels the laughter coming from the table. "I'm sorry honey. Why don't you go clean off your face, I'll finish making the bread. And then I'll start dinner." He says.

Lorelai nods and takes off her apron. As she walks out of the room she sticks out her tongue at William and Rory, who stick their tongues out at her in return. Luke shakes his head as he finishes making the bread. After he puts it in the oven he starts the water and sauce for spaghetti.

By the time Lorelai comes back downstairs, William and Rory have calmed down and are engaged in a lively game of patty cake. Lorelai walks over to Luke and wraps her arms around his waist as he adds spaghetti to the boiling water.

"That looks yummy." She coos as he stirs the sauce and adds a bit of powdered garlic and some basil.

"Hope so." He responds, turning his head to give her a quick kiss before grabbing the oven mitts to take the bread out of the oven.

Lorelai grabs the plates and silverware and begins to set the table, dropping a kiss on Rory's head as she does so. Rory smiles at her quickly before continuing with her game of patty cake. Lorelai gets cups out and pours drinks for everyone, setting them on the table as well.

"Hey guys, sorry to break up the fun, but it's time to get washed up for dinner." Lorelai says to William and Rory.

They nod and head to sink to wash their hands, taking time to blow bubbles in the soap. Lorelai and Luke set the food on the table and they all sit down for dinner, chatting happily. After dinner they decide to play a game, and end up playing the wonderful game of Life. Lorelai wins, and is of course, being Lorelai, far from humble about it. But, after Rory points out that she's being a soar winner, Lorelai tones down a bit, explaining that she just gets so caught up in the game that she forgets to be a good girl. She promises that she'll try harder to remember. Rory nods sternly, and Luke and William have a good laugh at the mother-daughter pair.

After the game Lorelai gives Rory a bath and changes her into her pjs. William passes by Rory's room to say goodnight, and heads to his room to read a bit before going to sleep. Rory looks up at Lorelai.

"Can daddy read me my story tonight?" She asks sweetly.

"Sure cutie, let me go get him." Lorelai says.

She finds him in the kitchen doing the dishes that were forgotten in the fun of the great game of Life.

"Hey Luke, why don't I finish those up. Rory wants you to read her bedtime story tonight. And as much fun as I can be, I don't think that I can stand in for her dad." Lorelai smiles at him.

"Of course. But you don't have to do the dishes, I can do them after I read to Rory." Luke says as he turns off the water and wipes his hands off.

"No, I'll do them. Go read to Rory."

"Ok." He says, giving her a kiss as he heads upstairs to Rory's room.

Lorelai finishes the dishes and loads the dishwasher. She wipes off her hands and turns off the kitchen lights as she heads upstairs to kiss Rory goodnight. She stops in the doorway of Rory's room and leans against the doorframe to watch Luke read Rory her story.

Rory's sitting in Luke's lap in between his arms as he holds the book in front of both of them. She giggles as Luke does a funny voice for one of the characters in the story. Lorelai smiles as she watches Luke close the book and pick Rory up, tossing her lightly before he places her under the covers and kisses her head. Lorelai comes over to give her a kiss as well.

"We love you sweetheart." She says as she pulls away from Rory and brushes the hair out of her face.

"I love you too." Rory says sleepily as she snuggles into the covers and pulls her teddy bear close to her body.

Luke and Lorelai walk out of the room, turning off the lights and closing the door softly.

"I'm gonna go take a shower, I don't think I managed to get all of the flour out of my hair when I changed earlier, and I don't want to get it all over the bed." Lorelai says to Luke as they move towards Luke's room.

"Save me some hot water, I'd like to get the rest of the grime from the diner off before we go to bed." Luke says as he sits down on the bed and watches Lorelai grab her pajamas, which have slowly made their way into his room along with most of her clothing and belongings, out of a drawer.

"Well, you know," She starts as she walks over to stand in front of him. "We could conserve water if we shower together." She says shyly, biting her lip a bit as she waits for his reaction.

"It doesn't have to lead anywhere though. I mean, I'm not, we're not, I didn't, you know what just…" She stammers until Luke puts a finger to her lips, stopping her from babbling any further. He takes her hands and squeezes them.

"It's ok Lorelai. I know what you mean, and sure. We could do that, if you're comfortable with it. And it doesn't have to lead to anything. I'm not in a hurry. I'm happy with the way things are." He says giving her a reassuring smile.

She squeezes his hands slightly and pulls him off the bed, waiting for him at the door while he grabs his pajamas. They walk to the bathroom together hand in hand. It's new, and it's different, but at the same time, it feels normal to both of them as they go about their night time routines together. It's not about sex or carnal instincts. It's just two people slowly melding their lives into one. And as they get into bed a bit later in the evening, it seems like the most natural thing in the world.


	21. Paint by Laughter

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 21: Paint by Laughter

Author's note: So this isn't the longest chapter, and it's pretty heavy on the fluff, but it does set a bunch of stuff up. I hope you enjoy it.

Comments and Criticisms always welcome.

Thursday afternoon Lorelai walks up to the diner to find Luke locking up.

"I thought we were meeting here." She says as they lean in for a kiss.

"Well, we kinda need the car, which is at the house. So I assumed that we were meeting at the house." Luke says when they pull apart.

"Oh. That makes more sense." Lorelai responds as Luke slings an arm around her shoulders and they start walking towards the house.

"So what colors do you want to paint the diner?" Lorelai asks Luke as they pass the gazebo, waving to the young guitarist who's taken up residence everyday on the side of the square.

"I was thinking maybe a deeper green with some sort of goldish, not like neon gold or anything, but gold trim along the windows and edges." Luke responds as they reach the house and get into the car.

"That sounds very nice, and it shouldn't be difficult to get those colors." Lorelai says as they head off to the Home Depot in Hartford.

Two hours later they arrive back at the diner, the car loaded with buckets of paint, tarps, brushes and rollers. They take everything out of the car and bring it into the diner.

"So, when do you want to paint?" Lorelai asks Luke as they set the last can of paint down on the counter.

"Well, your day off it Saturday right?" Luke asks her. She nods. "Maybe tomorrow night then? That way we can sleep in on Saturday and then spend the afternoon at the park with Rory and my dad."

"That sounds perfect." Lorelai responds as they head out of the diner and lock up.

When they get home Rory comes running up to them bursting with stories about pre-school and what she and William did that afternoon. Luke picks her up and they walk into the living room and sit down, listening intently to Rory's story about the boy who pulled Lane's pig-tail.

The next night Lorelai and Luke kiss Rory goodnight and say goodnight to William, before heading over to the diner. They set out the tarps and brushes and start to work. About an hour in, Lorelai turns on the radio, getting bored with the silence. When one of her favorite songs comes on, she begins to twirl herself around the diner, getting paint everywhere. Luckily, the tarps are covering everything, so it's not a problem, until a bit of paint hits Luke.

He turns to look at her as he feels something wet and blobby sliding down his back. Lorelai is standing in the middle of the diner with her hands over her mouth, a look of shock and slight fear in her eyes. Luke glares at her and dips his brush into the paint. He advances towards Lorelai as she slowly backs away, eventually hitting the door, with nowhere to run.

"Luke, I'm sorry, it was an accident. I swear." She says as he raises the brush. "Don't do anything you'll regr…" She starts, but Luke has already smeared paint on her face.

Lorelai shoots him a dirty look and slaps her paintbrush onto his face, smearing paint there too. Their little spat quickly escalates into an all out war with paint flying everywhere. After about ten minutes they collapse to the floor, covered in paint and laughing hysterically.

"Oh yeah, we're mature." Lorelai says as she regains her breathing.

"You started it." Luke says, breathing deeply.

"I was dancing and it just flew off my brush. I swear! I wasn't trying to get paint on you." Lorelai says putting her hands up in defense.

"Sure, sure." Luke says as he lifts himself off the floor, extending a hand to help her up.

"I wasn't." Lorelai says indignantly as she takes his hand and gets up as well.

Luke merely shrugs and moves back over to his section of the wall. Lorelai pouts and goes back to work too. Three hours later, they close up the paint cans and roll up the tarps. They lean back against the counter and admire their work.

"Looks good." Luke says after a moment.

"Yeah, it really does." Lorelai agrees.

"Thanks for helping me." Luke says, turning to look at her.

"My pleasure." Lorelai tells him as they lean in for a kiss.

As they break apart Luke looks down at their clothes and chuckles. "I think we better get home and get this stuff into the laundry before it's too late."

Lorelai nods and they lock up and head home, his arm around her waist, her head on his shoulder. When they get back they head upstairs and grab their pajamas quietly. Then they tiptoe into the bathroom to shower. When they get into the shower Lorelai looks down at the floor and notices that the water swirling around the drain has turned green. She begins to laugh and falls into Luke. He looks at her questioningly. She simply points to the floor and he begins to laugh as well. When they've calmed down they meet in a gentle kiss and finish showering. They get out and dry off, putting on their pajamas and brushing their teeth in comfortable silence. They take their paint-stained clothes downstairs and shove them in the laundry, before climbing back up the stairs to go to bed.

As they crawl into bed Luke turns to Lorelai.

"So, your birthday is next weekend." He states as they snuggle into the blankets.

"That it is." She responds, curling into his chest.

"And, not only is it a birthday, but it's your 21st birthday." Luke says, giving her a little squeeze. Lorelai nods into his chest, smiling.

"I was thinking that maybe you'd like to go down to the city for the weekend. Will and Rory could go stay with Liz and Jimmy, and you and I could get a hotel room and go out and celebrate." Lorelai turns head to look at him, an elated grin slowly making its way across her face.

"Of course, we'd spend your actual birthday with Rory, Liz, Jess, Jimmy and my dad, since it's on Friday. We could go out for dinner somewhere nice or something, whatever you want. But Saturday and Sunday, you and I would really go celebrate, booze included if you'd like. You will be 21 after all."

Lorelai squeals and launches herself on top of him, kissing him soundly. He beams at her enthusiasm as they break apart.

"That sounds amazing Luke! I can't wait. That's going to be so wonderful. You're amazing!" She says as she kisses him again.

He smiles at her. "I'm glad you like the idea." He says happily.

"Like it? I love it! Seriously, I can't wait!" She says hugging him tightly.

Luke grins at her and kisses her head. "I'm glad."

They lie there for a few minutes, kissing occasionally. Lorelai starts to yawn after a while, and shifts herself off of Luke's chest to lie down beside him. He places his arms around her again and kisses her head. They rest in silence for a few minutes, both almost falling asleep.

"I didn't mean to get paint on you." Lorelai sighs quietly into his chest.

Luke chuckles and kisses her temple. "I know. But you looked cute in green." He says quietly as he hears her breathing slow into the steady rhythm of sleep. He smiles and pulls her a little closer, falling into sleep himself.


	22. author's note

Hey Everyone,

Ok, so I hate getting an alert telling me that there's a new chapter of a story that I'm reading, just to find out that it's an author's note….but I have to do this.

I'm going on a trip for five weeks and I won't be able to update in that time. We have access to the internet, so if you want to chat just send me a pm, and I'll respond. But I can't update because as far as I know, we won't have enough time for me to type up each chapter, proof it, and then update it. But when I get back in August I will update consistently.

I'm really sorry about leaving the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. I was going to update with the next one, planning on it actually, but then packing took longer than expected and now I don't have time to write the next chapter. But I will when I get back.

So, I guess this is goodbye for a few weeks. Feel free to message me if you want to. I'm really really sorry.

Hope everyone has a wonderful summer. I'll "see" you all in five weeks.

XOXO

Gilmoremajorfan


	23. Promises

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, I'd be fired for not updating for so long.

Chapter 22: Promises

Author's Note: Sorry about the long long wait on this one. Five weeks of travel and then two weeks of SAT prep course don't allow for writing time. But now I'm finished with my course and ready to write more. I hope that you all continue to read my story and that you enjoy this chapter.

Comments and Criticisms always welcome.

* * *

"Happy Birthday Mommy!" Rory squeals as she runs into Luke and Lorelai's room on Friday morning. Luke and Lorelai stir as Rory begins to jump up and down on the bed.

"Happy birthday mommy!" Shouts Rory as Lorelai sits up.

"Thank you sweetheart." Lorelai responds sleepily as Rory pounces on her and hugs her tightly.

Suddenly Rory jumps off of the bed and runs out of the room. Luke and Lorelai look at each other, puzzled. Rory's head pops back into the doorway a few seconds later.

"Come on mommy! We have to go! We're going to see Jess and Auntie Liz and Uncle Jimmy today!"

And as quickly as she returned, she's gone again. Luke sits up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He turns to Lorelai, smiling.

"Happy twenty-first birthday Lorelai." He says quietly, leaning in to give her a kiss. She smiles as they break apart.

"Thank you." She says happily.

"Daddy!" They hear from down the hall. "Get mommy up! We have to go!"

They laugh and get out of bed, dressing quickly. They grab their bags for the weekend and head downstairs to meet Rory and Will for a quick birthday breakfast before they go down to the city.

The group arrives at Liz and Jimmy's apartment at about 2pm, Rory almost bursting with excitement at the thought of seeing Jess again. As Jimmy opens the door for them, Rory and Jess tackle each other in a hug, talking a mile a minute. The adults exchange greetings, Jimmy and Liz wishing Lorelai a happy birthday as they head into the living room. They chat for a few hours, catching up on everything that's happened since their last visit.

"So Lorelai, how long did it take for my brother to finally ask you out?" Liz asks Lorelai.

"I think about 2 weeks after we last saw you? Right Luke?" Lorelai responds, looking to Luke for conformation.

"Just about." Luke says shortly, embarrassed by the attention. Lorelai smiles at him and takes his hand in hers, turning back to Liz.

"That's sweet. Can't believe it took him so long." Liz says, smirking at her brother. Luke's cheeks flush a bit as he stares intently at his shoes.

"It's not his fault. We just needed time to figure out what was in front of us. It was both of us that slowed the process down." Lorelai says squeezing Luke's hand. He turns and smiles at her briefly, before fixing his eyes on his shoes once more.

William and Jimmy laugh at Luke's reaction to the grilling, earning them a glare from Luke and a smile from Lorelai.

"Well I'm very happy for the two of you." Liz says, deciding that Luke's suffered enough for the day.

"Thank you." Lorelai says warmly.

"Yeah, thanks." Luke says, finally bringing his eyes back to the group.

Jess and Rory come into the living room, pouts on both of their faces. "We're hungry." They say together.

The adults laugh and get up, gathering their things together to go out to dinner. They take Lorelai out to dinner at Michellos, per her request. After they've finished dinner and desert (a cake complete with singing waiters) everyone starts rummaging in their bags. Lorelai looks around quizzically, but her confusion is quickly resolved when prettily wrapped packages begin to appear on the table.

"Lorelai, the first one is from me, Jimmy and Jess, and the second is just from me." Liz says she passes two presents wrapped in shimmering silver paper across the table.

Lorelai unwraps the first package carefully, revealing a beautiful silver bracelet with three charms dangling from it: the first; a gilded book, the second; a beautiful round silver bead with gold threading and the third; two rose pendants, connected by a third smaller rose. Lorelai looks across the table at Liz, Jimmy and Jess.

"It's gorgeous." She exclaims quietly. "Thank you so much."

"The book is Jess', it symbolizes wisdom. The bead is mine, it represents life as a complete circle. And the three roses are Jimmy's, they represent family." Liz tells her.

"It's wonderful you guys, thank you so much." Lorelai says, slipping it onto her wrist and admiring it.

She unwraps the second package to find a book entitled: Living and Loving: The learner's guide to a happy love life.

"I saw it in the bookstore and took a look at it, I think you'll enjoy it. But this is a mommy, and maybe daddy only book. Sorry Rory." Liz says turning to Rory apologetically. Rory pouts but nods in understanding.

"This next one is from Rory." Luke says as he passes her a gift wrapped in golden paper.

Lorelai smiles adoringly at Rory and unwraps the paper delicately. Inside is a wooden picture frame laden with painted wooden flowers with the words "I love you" engraved along the top. Centered in the middle of the frame is a picture of Lorelai and Rory when they had just moved to the Hollow. Lorelai is kissing Rory on her cheek and tickling her stomach while Rory giggles with glee. Lorelai looks over at Rory, tears in her eyes.

"It's amazing Ror." She says. Rory smiles shyly at her.

"Daddy helped me build it." She says looking at Luke and then back to her mother. "I couldn't use the hot burny thing that makes the words, but I told him what to write. And he helped me glue the flowers on it."

"It's beautiful Rory. I love it. Thank you so much." She says leaning over to kiss her on the head. Rory smiles and kisses her back.

"This one is from me." William says, passing Lorelai a package wrapped in pale pink paper.

Lorelai opens it gingerly, revealing a leather bound photo album. Inside are pictures of everything that has happened in the last 3 and a half years, from Rory's first steps to Luke and Lorelai kissing three days ago. Lorelai looks over at William, a grin spread across her face.

"Will, this is amazing. Thank you. It's wonderful." She tells him happily. He simply smiles at her in return.

Luke turns to her and hands her a single rose with a note attached to it. Lorelai smiles at him and opens the card.

_Lorelai,_

_You are the most amazing woman in the world, and I don't know what I would do without you in my life. You mean the world to me._

_Love,_

_Luke_

_PS. My present to you is coming later._

Lorelai leans over and kisses him softly, drawing a chorus of awwws from the table.

"You mean the world to me too Luke." She says quietly.

They smile at each other as Liz and Jimmy pay the bill. They all get up and walk out of the restaurant and over to the doorway to Liz' building. Luke heads down to the parking lot to grab their bags while Lorelai says her goodbyes.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal." Lorelai tells Liz and Jimmy, hugging them both. "And thank you for the present Jess, I love it." Lorelai says as she hugs Jess.

"You're welcome Aunt Lorelai." He says to her.

"Thank you so much Will." Lorelai says as she hugs him as well.

"It was nothing my dear." He responds modestly.

"It is something Will, a big something." She tells him seriously. He simply smiles and pats her hand.

Lorelai turns to Rory and squats down to look her in the eye. "Rory, thank you so much for the picture frame, it's beautiful. I love it very much. And I love you very much." She tells her as they hug tightly. "Daddy and I will see you on Sunday ok?"

Rory nods but doesn't let go. Lorelai giggles and picks her up, walking over to Luke who's returned from the car. He kisses and hugs Rory as well.

"We love you Rory, and we'll see you in just one day. You'll have a great time with Jess, Grandpa, Jimmy and Liz." Luke tells her as he kisses her temple.

"I love you too." Rory tells them.

Luke hands her over to Will, then Lorelai kisses her one last time as Luke flags down a taxi. They say their goodbyes and climb into the taxi, waving to Rory as they drive away.

"She'll be fine." Luke says as Lorelai stares out the window at Rory's disappearing form.

"I know." Lorelai sighs, turning to look at him. "It's just that I've never been away from her overnight before."

Luke nods and pulls her to him. She smiles up at him as he gives her a soft kiss. They arrive at the hotel and check in. When they get to their room Lorelai gasps. A huge king size bed occupies the middle of the spacious room, pillows piled high against the headboard. A couch on the right side of the bed faces the large television in the corner of the room. Lorelai looks around in awe.

"Luke, this is amazing." She says as he puts their suitcases on the suitcase holders.

"I'm glad you like it. Go take a look at the bathroom." He tells her, a grin on his face.

She walks into the bathroom and lets out a squeal of glee. A giant Jacuzzi is fitted into the corner of the bathroom. The shower sits in the opposite corner alongside the sink and toilet. The entire spread is made of marble.

"Luke." Lorelai says quietly as she walks back into the bedroom. "This must have cost a fortune."

Luke shrugs his shoulders and pulls her into a hug. "You deserve it. It's your 21st birthday and I want you to have the best time in the world, so instead of worrying about the money, just enjoy it." He tells her, giving her a squeeze.

Lorelai lifts her head and kisses him soundly. He grins at her as they break apart and leads her over to sit on the bed. Then he rummages in his bag and pulls out a delicately wrapped package and brings it over to her. He hands it to her and sits down next to her, watching her face intently.

Lorelai carefully unwraps the package to find a black jewelry box. She gently opens the box and peers inside. Laying in the box is a beautiful golden chain. Lorelai lifts it gingerly from the box to look at it closely. At the end of the chain is a simple golden ring with two interlocking hearts set with diamonds. Lorelai gasps and looks over at Luke who is smiling at her.

"Luke." She breathes. "It's beautiful."

Luke takes her hand in his and squeezes it. "This ring is my promise to love you with all of my heart."

Lorelai gapes at him, taking in the immense meaning of what he's said. She looks down at the ring on the end of the chain for a moment and then brings her eyes to meet his.

"I love you too." She says quietly.

He beams at her and leans in to give her a soft kiss. After a moment they pull apart and stare at each other, matching smiles pulling at their features.

"And," Luke says looking at her seriously "when the time comes, this ring will be my promise to hold and love you for all of my life, until death do us part."

Lorelai stares amazedly at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I love you Lorelai, and I always will." He tells her, squeezing her hand.

"Will you put it on me?" Lorelai asks quietly.

Luke nods and moves behind her to fasten the necklace around her neck. She reaches up and touches the ring as he moves back to sit beside her. Lorelai leans over and wraps her arms around him, kissing him soundly. He pulls her onto his lap as they continue to kiss passionately. The break apart after a few minutes. Luke looks into Lorelai's eyes and she nods.

"You sure?" He asks her seriously.

She simply nods again and leans in, catching his lips with hers in a fiery kiss. Slowly they move further, consummating their relationship at last.

As they lay in the after-glow of passion, Lorelai lifts her head from Luke's chest and kisses him lightly.

"I love you." She tells him as they break apart.

"I love you too." He responds, squeezing her to him.

Lorelai fingers her necklace thoughtfully. "Do you really want to?" She asks him quietly after a few minutes.

"Do I really want to what?" He asks curiously.

"Get married, one day." She responds slowly.

"One day." Luke tells her. "Not now, not next week, but someday when we're ready. Yes. I want to marry you."

"I want to marry you too, one day." Lorelai tells him.

They kiss lightly. Lorelai snuggles into his embrace and yawns.

"You getting sleepy?" Luke asks her chuckling.

"You wore me out." Lorelai tells him, cuddling into his chest.

Luke laughs and pulls the covers up higher over them. "Goodnight Lorelai." He says as he hears her breathing start to slow down into the deep sounds of sleep. He relaxes into the pillows and drops a kiss onto her head.

"I love you." He says quietly as he closes his eyes.

"Love you too." He hears her say, he voice heavy with sleep.

He squeezes her gently as they fall into an elated sleep.


	24. Forever

Title: What You Get

Disclaimer: They are not mine, I just use them to fill my free time.

Chapter 23: Forever

Author's Note: Ok, so I suck, major league, for not having updated in two years, and if no one reads, that's cool. But I found this story a couple of days ago, and realized that I liked it, and liked writing it, so, well, here goes:

Comments and criticism always welcome

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The next morning Lorelai blearily opens her eyes, taking in the sunlit room. As she moves she becomes aware of her human pillow, still slumbering peacefully. She smiles as she looks up at Luke's sleeping form, taking in his serene expression and tousled hair. She reaches a hand up and strokes his cheek with a feather light touch, basking in this simple time.

They had declared their love, promised their lives to each other, and made love for the first time, not to mention, she had turned 21. It had been an eventful night to say the least, and a wonderful, fantastic, superb, revelatory, joyous, magical night to say a bit more. Though, she thinks lovingly, those don't even begin to scratch the surface of the cacophony of adjectives swimming in her head.

As she continues to caress his cheek, running her fingers over ever tiny bump of the stubble she's come to love so much, Luke begins to stir, languidly opening his enchantingly deep blue eyes to stare back at her loving gaze. They simply smile at each other, goofy grins spread across their faces.

"Good morning," Lorelai whispers.

"Good morning back," Luke murmurs, pulling her to him as they meet in a gentle kiss.

"Did you sleep well?" he asks her as they break apart, their foreheads resting together.

"Wonderfully," Lorelai coos.

They gaze at each other for a long moment, simply soaking in all that has occurred and all that lies ahead.

"I love you," Lorelai states softly after minute.

"I love you too," Luke replies quietly, giving her a soft peck.

Their soft kiss slowly escalates and they lay kissing for a few minutes, eventually breaking apart at the sound of Lorelai's grumbling stomach.

"A little hungry?" Luke chuckles. Lorelai nods as they gently disengage and sit up.

"Starving," Lorelai replies.

"Then let's get dressed and go out to eat. What time is it anyway?" Luke asks, glancing around for the clock.

"Wow, it's one-o-clock," Lorelai responds.

"I don't think we've slept this late, ever," Luke laughs as they move toward the bathroom.

"I know I haven't since Rory was born," Lorelai giggles as they step into the shower.

"And we probably never will again," Luke mock-sighs. They laugh, falling into one another. They shower leisurely, enjoying their ability to simply be. An hour later they're ready to go out.

They leave the hotel and find a cute diner where they eat lunch, much to Lorelai's great pleasure, as she listens to Luke rant about all of the imperfections in the establishment. The food however earns his seal of approval.

After lunch they head out to see a movie, in which they see more of each other's lips than the screen, and then they eat a quiet dinner before going back to the hotel to change.

Lorelai emerges from the bathroom in a red halter-top evening dress, which comes down to her knees in a bit of a flair, with red pumps to match. Her hair is in curls which fall gently across her shoulders and down her back. Luke stares in awe as she does a little twirl.

"Lorelai, you look amazing. Beautiful," Luke mummers as he wraps her in his arms.

"Thank you," Lorelai responds, giving him a small kiss. "You look quite handsome yourself."

Luke is dressed in nice slacks and a deep blue button down. His face is clean-shaven and his eyes alight with happiness. Arm in arm, they leave the hotel and take a cab downtown to a popular Latin dance club. They enter and take a table. Lorelai orders them both drinks, flashing her ID at the waiter in glee. After imbibing triumphantly, they take to the floor, where Luke gracefully tales the lead.

"Mr. Danes, you are a wonderful dancer," Lorelai states as they twirl and spin around.

"Surprised?" Luke asks, dipping her for effect.

Lorelai laughs. "Not really, it's not surprising, just unexpected. I never pegged you for the dancing type, but you're good at everything, so of course you're a fabulous dancer."

"Well, that's certainly flattering," Luke chuckles. "Liz made me take lessons with her when she was about 14. I grumbled, but it made me ever so popular with the ladies."

"Ladies, what ladies are you trying to impress? I hope you don't have a hot dancer on the side Luke, I'd be terribly crushed," Lorelai pouts, eyes alight.

"Only you Lorelai, it will always only be you."

Lorelai beams at him and they meet in a kiss, there for the world to see in the middle of the dance floor. When they break apart, Luke blushes and leads them back to their table. Two hours and one more martini later, they leave the club, happy and bubbly. They spend another beautiful night together and fall into a peaceful sleep.

The alarm comes far too early the next day, and the pair is sluggish in preparation. As they're doing a final check of the room Lorelai turns to Luke.

"Thank you," she states, putting a hand on his arm to get his attention, as his eyes are still scanning for missed items.

"You're welcome," he says absent-mindedly.

"No, Luke," Lorelai prompts, touching his face and locking eyes with him. "Thank you, for this, for this weekend, for my present, for loving me, for being here, for being the one. That thank you," she says quietly.

"Lorelai, there is nothing I would not do for you. I loved this weekend, and I love you even more. Happy Birthday," Luke smiles. They meet in a loving kiss.

"For ever and ever," Lorelai mummers as they come up for air.

"For always," Luke replies.

They hug for a long moment and then head out of the room and into the elevator, hands entwined.

"We should do this again," Lorelai states as they begin to descend.

"I agree," Luke nods. "Maybe over Thanksgiving?"

"That sounds right, we could come have dinner with Liz and Jimmy and then maybe take a night for ourselves," Lorelai muses as they check out and get into a cab.

"We ought to offer to take Jess sometime too, it's only fair," Luke states.

"Very true. Let's make sure to mention that to them today."

They pull up to Liz and Jimmy's apartment building and get out. Once they're all ready to head up, Luke pulls Lorelai into a passionate kiss.

"I love you," he says when they break apart.

"I love you too," Lorelai whispers, their foreheads pressed together.

"Now let's go get our girl," Luke proclaims. Lorelai beams and they head up to the apartment hand in hand, ready to get back to their daughter and home, and on to their beautiful future.


End file.
